Ceramic Vs Polymeric Membranes

Membrane types and structure.

Ceramic vs polymeric membranes.

They are used in membrane operations for liquid filtration. Ceramic membranes are a type of artificial membranes made from inorganic materials such as alumina titania zirconia oxides silicon carbide or some glassy materials. Polycera goes beyond traditional polymeric and ceramic materials. They are generally used for highly acidic or basic environments due to inertness.

Polycera membranes offer a unique combination of extreme hydrophilicity permeability and robustness. Opex l j t this means that as far as the cost effectiveness of the ceramic membrane compared with the polymeric one is concerned the determining factor is the ratio of the term l j t for the two materials. Katie guerra p e of the bureau of reclamation reported on her efforts to put to the test the common assumptions that ceramic micro and ultrafiltration systems though more robust and forgiving have such a high capital cost that polymeric membrane systems provide a lower total operating cost advantage. There are mainly two different types of membrane material.

Synthetic membrane can be fabricated from a large number of different materials. Ceramic membranes have been hailed for their advantageous properties when compared to polymeric membranes. Polymeric membranes are usually produced as flat sheets and the two most widely used lab scale configurations are the dead end and the crossflow modes. The downside of ceramic membranes is the high sensitivity to temperature gradient which leads to membrane cracking.

Ceramic membranes are produced from inorganic materials such as aluminium oxides silicon. It can be made from organic or inorganic materials including solids such as metal or ceramic homogeneous films polymers heterogeneous solids polymeric mixes mixed glasses and liquids. By contrast with polymeric membranes they can be used in separations where aggressive media acids strong solvents are present. Comprehensive membrane science and engineering second edition 2017.

To be made useful the membrane material must be formed or configured in such a way as to allow water to pass through it. So the membrane replacement component of the opex is then approximately proportional to the ratio of the membrane cost l to the net flux j times the membrane life t. Ceramic membranes consist of metal aluminum or titanium and non metal oxides nitride or carbide. The advantages of ceramic membranes compared to polymeric membranes are often stated to be.

I a relatively narrow pore size distribution and higher porosity resulting in better separation characteristics and a higher flux ii a higher mechanical stability allowing. This makes these membranes suitable for many applications where polymeric and other inorganic membranes cannot be used.