Olumoye Ajao, Mohamed Rahni, Mariya Marinova, Hassan Chadjaâ and Oumarou Savadogo
Article (2017)
|
Open Access to the full text of this document Published Version Terms of Use: Creative Commons Attribution Download (455kB) |
Abstract
Prehydrolysate, a dilute solution consisting mainly of pentoses, hexoses, and lesser quantities of organic acids, furfural and phenolics, is generated in the Kraft dissolving pulp process. An obstacle facing the valorization of the solution in hemicellulose biorefineries, by conversion of the sugars into bioproducts such as furfural, is the low sugar concentration. Membrane filtration is typically proposed in several hemicellulose based biorefineries for concentrating the solution, although they are usually generated using different wood species, pretreatment methods, and operating conditions. However, the chemical composition of the solutions is generally not considered. Also, the combined effect of composition and operating conditions is rarely investigated for biorefinery applications. The purpose of this work was to determine the impact of the prehydrolysate composition and operating parameters on the component separation and permeate flux during membrane filtration. Using model prehydrolysate solutions, two commercial reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were screened, and one was selected for use, based on its higher sugar and acetic acid retention. A Taguchi L18 experimental design array was then applied to determine the dominant parameters and limiting factors. Results showed that the feed pressure and temperature have the highest impact on permeate flux, but the least effect on sugar retention. Further experiments to quantify flux decline, due to fouling and osmotic pressure, showed that furfural has the highest membrane fouling tendency, and can limit the lifetime of the membrane. Regeneration of the membrane by cleaning with a sodium hydroxide solution is also effective for reversing fouling. It has been demonstrated that RO can efficiently and sustainably concentrate wood prehydrolysate.
Uncontrolled Keywords
Subjects: |
1800 Chemical engineering > 1800 Chemical engineering 1800 Chemical engineering > 1806 Separation processes |
---|---|
Department: | Department of Chemical Engineering |
Funders: | CRSNG/NSERC, BioFuel Canada |
Grant number: | 437803-12 |
PolyPublie URL: | https://publications.polymtl.ca/4217/ |
Journal Title: | Membranes (vol. 7, no. 4) |
Publisher: | MDPI |
DOI: | 10.3390/membranes7040068 |
Official URL: | https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes7040068 |
Date Deposited: | 09 Mar 2020 13:23 |
Last Modified: | 08 Apr 2025 15:50 |
Cite in APA 7: | Ajao, O., Rahni, M., Marinova, M., Chadjaâ, H., & Savadogo, O. (2017). Study of separation and fouling of reverse osmosis membranes during model hydrolysate solution filtration. Membranes, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes7040068 |
---|---|
Statistics
Total downloads
Downloads per month in the last year
Origin of downloads
Dimensions