Membrane Processes in Separation and Purification

Book excerpt: The chapters of this book are based upon lectures presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Membrane Processes in Separation and Purification (March 21 - April 2, 1993, Curia, Portugal), organized as a successor and update to a similar Institute that took place 10 years ago (p.M.Bungay, H.K. Lonsdale, M.N. de Pinho (Eds.): Synthetic Membranes: Science, Engineering and Applications, NATO ASI Series, Reidel, Dordrecht, 1986). The decade between the two NATO Institutes witnesses the transition from individually researched membrane processes to an applied and established membrane separation technology, as is reflected by the contents of the corresponding proceeding volumes. By and large, the first volume presents itself as a textbook on membrane processes, still valid, while the present volume focuses on areas of separation need as amenable to membrane processing: Biotechnology and Environmental Technology. Accordingly, the contributions to this volume are grouped into "Membranes in Biotechnology" (11 papers), "Membranes in Environmental Technology" (6 papers), and "New Concepts" (4 papers). This is followed by one contribution each on "Energy Requirements" and "Education", i.e., membrane processes within an academic curriculum. The book thus amounts to a state of the art of applied membrane processing and may well augment the more fundamental approach of its predecessor.