Applications of Membrane Technology for Food Processing Industries

M. SELVAMUTHUKUMARAN, M. SELVAMUTHUKUMARAN

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000195279
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Industria alimentare
• Index: Business

Membranes processing techniques are used to help separate chemical components based on molecular size under specific pressure. A great advantage of membrane processing techniques is that it is a non-thermal processing technique, which can retain enormous bioactive constituents to a greater extent. Being a less energy intensive process, this technique is widely used in several food processing industries such as in the clarification of fruit juices and wine; the concentration of milk; the preparation of whey protein concentrate; and water and waste treatment, among others.

Applications of Membrane Technology for Food Processing Industries introduces membrane processing techniques, presenting principles, theory and operational conditions for achieving efficient quality product. It discusses different types of membrane processing techniques viz. reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, electro dialysis, microfiltration, pervaporation, including its applications, advantages and disadvantages.

Key Features:

• Deals with the retention of antioxidants by using novel membrane processing techniques

• 
  
  

• Includes the application of membrane processing techniques in whey processing

• 
  
  

• Explains the method for degumming, dewaxing and decolorization of edible crude oils

• 
  
  

• Narrates application of membrane processing techniques in waste water treatment for efficient use

• 
  
  

Readers, such as professors, scientist, research scholars, students and industrial personnel, will come to know about the current trends in use of membrane processing techniques for its application in several food processing industries. This book can be a ready reference for the food industrial industry for manufacturing of deacidified clarified fruit juices and wine by using integrated membrane technique approach.

In a nutshell, this book will benefit food scientist, academicians, students and food industrial persons by providing in-depth knowledge about membrane processing of foods for quality retention and also for efficient consumer acceptability.

1

Introduction to Membrane Processing

Carole C. Tranchant and M. Selvamuthukumaran

Contents

Abbreviations

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Historical Overview of Membrane Technology

1.3 Operating Principle of Membrane Separation

1.4 Advantages and Limitations of Membrane Processing

1.4.1 Advantages

1.4.2 Limitations

1.5 Commercial Applications of Membrane Processing

1.6 Classes of Membranes

1.6.1 Symmetric (or Isotropic) Membranes

1.6.1.1 Microporous Membranes

1.6.1.2 Non-Porous Dense Membranes

1.6.1.3 Electrically Charged Membranes

1.6.2 Asymmetric (or Anisotropic) Membranes

1.6.3 Liquid Membranes

1.6.4 Membrane Materials

1.6.5 Membrane Configurations

1.7 Classification and Overview of Membrane Processes

1.7.1 Pressure-Driven Membrane Processes

1.7.1.1 Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration

1.7.1.2 Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis

1.7.2 Concentration-Driven Membrane Processes

1.7.2.1 Forward Osmosis

1.7.2.2 Diffusion Dialysis and Dialysis

1.7.2.3 Gas Separation

1.7.2.4 Pervaporation

1.7.3 Electrically-Driven Membrane Processes

1.7.3.1 Electrodialysis and Electroosmosis

1.7.4 Thermally-Driven Membrane Processes

1.7.4.1 Membrane Distillation

1.8 Conclusion

References

ABBREVIATIONS

CA	cellulose acetate
ED	electrodialysis
FO	forward osmosis
GS	gas separation
LM	liquid membrane
MBR	membrane bioreactor
MD	membrane distillation
MF	microfiltration
NF	nanofiltration
PV	pervaporation
RO	reverse osmosis
UF	ultrafiltration

1.1 Introduction

Membrane processing is a technology of choice for separating and concentrating the components of a liquid or gaseous mixture according to their molecular size, shape or other relevant physicochemical properties. Membrane processing encompasses a variety of different processes depending on membrane characteristics and on the driving force of the permeate flow across the membrane. Aside from advantages such as efficiency and energy economy, their compact modular design and operational simplicity enable continuous operation as well as wide-ranging applications (Ambrosi et al., 2017; Zhou and Husson, 2018). Membrane-based processes are generally considered to be a green technology as they operate without the addition of additives and chemicals, typically without heating (Dewettinck and Trung Le, 2011; Macedonio and Drioli, 2017). They can be used to process bio-based heat-sensitive materials and recover high-value bioactive and functional compounds such as bioactive peptides, polyphenols, prebiotics as well as flavour-active compounds (Akin et al., 2012; Saffarionpour and Ottens, 2018). Their applications in the agri-food and health sectors have expanded substantially during the past two decades as membrane-based operations are becoming increasingly competitive and economical compared with traditional concentration and separation technologies such as evaporation and freeze concentration.

The following sections provide an overview of membrane processing technology, its historical developments, principles of operation, advantages, limitations, applications in the food industries, classification of membranes and membrane processes, with consideration of the recent advances supporting the development of novel and high-quality foods and ingredients, including functional foods and nutraceuticals.

1.2 Historical Overview of Membrane Technology

Membrane technology has evolved into a mature technology and a major unit operation due to the discoveries of numerous researchers going back to the 18th century. A few of these pioneering discoveries are highlighted here. In 1748, a French clergyman and physicist named Nollet was the first to coin the term ‘osmosis’ to describe this natural process. Using a pig’s bladder as a natural semipermeable membrane, he showed that solvent molecules from a water solution of low solute concentration could flow through the membrane into a solution of higher solute concentration made of alcohol (Strathmann, 2011). A few years later, Dutrochet constructed an osmometer for measuring the osmotic pressure and pointed to this pressure as the possible cause of the transport of water in plants. Cellulose nitrate, also known as nitrocellulose, the first semisynthetic polymer, was studied by Schoenbein in 1846. In the 1850s, Graham studied the diffusion of gases and liquids through various media. He studied in vivo dialysis and achieved the separation of colloids based on their molecular weight and concentration; he is also credited with coining the term ‘dialysis’ in 1861. In 1855, Fick used cellulose nitrate membranes to study diffusion and established the laws of diffusion, famously known as Fick’s laws (Uragami, 2017). In 1867, Traube was the first to produce artificial semipermeable membranes made up of copper ferrocyanide precipitates, which laid the foundation for further research into osmotic pressure (Strathmann, 2011). Building on Traube’s work in the 1870s, Pfeffer developed a thicker and more resistant membrane that could withstand greater pressure (Hendricks, 2006).

Another breakthrough came in 1907 when Bechhold devised a technique for preparing membranes of graded pore size, which opened the way for producing high-quality nitrocellulose-based membranes. These microporous membranes were commercialized in the 1930s and subsequently applied to microfiltration (Uragami, 2017). Bechhold is also credited with coining the term ‘ultrafiltration’ in 1910 (Hendricks, 2006). Microfiltration became more widely used in the 1950s with water treatment becoming its first prominent use for producing potable water. In 1959, Loeb and Sourirajan developed an asymmetric reverse osmosis membrane from cellulose acetate (CA), which rejected salt and totally dissolved solids, while allowing water to permeate at high fluxes at moderate operating pressures. This was a major advance in the production of potable water from seawater by reverse osmosis (Uragami, 2017).

In the 1960s, other membrane processing techniques, such as gas separation and membrane distillation, emerged. The first commercial application of membranes for gas applications in the 1980s was made feasible by the seminal work of Henis and Tripodi (Hagg, 2015). In the late 1980s, several membrane processing techniques, including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodialysis (ED), emerged on a commercial scale with an increasing number of food applications. These advanced processes are widely used nowadays in the food and nutraceutical industries to separate and add value to a diverse range of food materials and byproducts. Nanofiltration (NF) and pervaporation (PV), which are relatively recent developments, are attracting increasing attention in these fields (Mohammad et al., 2019; Saffarionpour and Ottens, 2018), while membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology is in the emerging development phase with relatively few commercial applications at present (Mazzei et al., 2017).

1.3 Operating Principle of Membrane Separation

Membrane separation is based on the selective transport of certain substances through a semipermeable membrane. As shown schematically in Figure 1.1, this is achieved by interposing the membrane between a feed stream and a transfer or permeate stream, and by establishing conditions that provide a driving force for the transport of the solvent (generally water) and select solutes across the membrane from the feed to the permeate stream. The membrane is housed in a specific device, the membrane module, and acts as a barrier, se...