Permeable membranes having high flux-density and low fouling-propensity

A process for the separation of one component from a mixture comprised of at least two components which comprises applying sufficient pressure to the mixture to cause one component to pass through a permeable membrane system comprised of at least two permeable membrane sheets, at least one of the sheets having regularly spaced grooves on at least one surface, said grooves having a predetermined spacing factor, the sheets being positioned in a configuration with the grooves on one grooved surface of one sheet forming feed channels with a surface of another sheet which covers the said one grooved surface, said grooves being about 0.5 to about 100 mils wide and deep and said feed channels being used to deliver the feed stream to the membrane surface, thereby resulting in a solvent-rich permeate stream enriched in one component and a residual stream enriched in the remaining components of the original mixture.

A process for reverse osmosis separation of solvent from a solution comprised of a solvent and a solute which comprises applying sufficient pressure to the solution to overcome the osmotic pressure of the solution and thereby cause the solvent to pass through a permeable membrane system comprised of at least two permeable membrane sheets, at least one of the two sheets having regularly spaced grooves on at least one surface, said grooves having a predetermined spacing factor, the sheets being positioned in a configuration with the grooves on one grooved surface of one sheet forming feed channels with a surface of another sheet which covers the said one grooved surface, said grooves being about 5 to about 35 mils wide and deep and said feed channels being used to deliver the fed stream to the membrane surface, thereby resulting in a solvent-rich permeate stream and a solute-rich residual stream.

A process for ultrafiltration of liquid from a mixture comprised of a liquid and either a large molecular weight solute or suspended particles or both which comprises applying sufficient pressure to the mixture to cause the liquid to pass through a permeable membrane system comprised of at least two permeable membrane sheets, at least one of the two sheets having regularly spaced grooves on at least one surface, said grooves having a predetermined spacing factor, the sheets being positioned in a configuration with the grooves on one grooved surface of one sheet forming feed channels with a surface of another sheet which covers the said one grooved surface, said grooves being about 15 to about 75 mils wide and deep and said feed channels being used to deliver the feed stream to the membrane surface, thereby resulting in a liquid-rich permeate stream and a residual stream enriched in the remaining components of the mixture.

A process for the separation of one gas from a mixture comprised of at least two gases which comprises applying sufficient pressure to the mixture to cause a measurable flux of at least one gas through a permeable membrane system comprised of at least two permeable membrane sheets, at least one of the two sheets having regularly spaced grooves on at least one surface, said grooves having a predetermined spacing factor, the sheets being positioned in a configuration with the grooves on one grooved surface of one sheet forming feed channels with a surface of another sheet which covers the said one grooved surface, said grooves being about 0.5 to about 20 mils wide and deep and said feed channels being used to deliver the feed stream to the membrane surface, thereby resulting in a permeate stream enriched in one gas and a residual stream enriched in the remaining gases of the original mixture.

A process for liquid-fluid separation of the fluid from a mixture of (a) a liquid and (b) a fluid which is either a liquid or a gas, which process comprises applying sufficient pressure to the solution to overcome the osmotic pressure of the solution and thereby cause the fluid to pass through a permeable membrane system comprised of at least two permeable membrane sheets, at least one of the two sheets having regularly spaced grooves on at least one surface, said grooves having a predetermined spacing factor, the sheets being positioned in a configuration with the grooves on one grooved surface of one sheet forming feed channels with a surface of another sheet which covers the said one grooved surface, said grooves being about 0.5 to about 100 mils wide and deep and said feed channels being used to deliver the feed stream to the membrane surface, thereby resulting in a permeate stream rich in fluid (b) and a residual stream enriched in liquid (a).

A continuous process for separating product from fluid reactants and catalyst in a reactor system wherein the catalyst is attached or immobilized onto a permeable membrane or an adjacent surface or is recirculated with reactants across the surface of the permeable membrane and the separation is effected by the ability of the product to selectively pass through a permeable membrane system comprised of at least two permeable membrane sheets, at least one of the two sheets having regularly spaced grooves on at least one surface, said grooves having a predetermined spacing factor, the sheets being positioned in a configuration with the grooves on one grooved surface of one sheet forming feed channels with a surface of another sheet which covers the said one grooved surface, said grooves being about 0.5 to about 100 mils wide and deep and said feed channels being used to deliver the reactants to the membrane surface, thereby resulting in a product-rich permeate stream and a reactant-rich residual stream, which is recirculated through the reactor with additional reactants.

A permeable membrane system comprised of at least two sheets, at least one of the two sheets being a permeable membrane having regularly spaced grooves on at least one surface, said grooves having a predetermined spacing factor, one grooved surface having a barrier layer, the sheets being positioned in a configuration with the grooves on the surface of the permeable membrane sheet forming feed channels with a surface of another sheet which covers the said one grooved surface, said grooves being about 0.5 to about 100 mils wide and deep and said feed channels being used to deliver the feed stream to the membrane surface.