Theoretical and experimental investigations of membrane separation processes in the food industry and environmental protection
Membrane separation in food industry and waste treatment
On the field of food and chemical industry, and envrionmental protection the most dynamically developing field is the research of membrane separations. The importance of membrane technics lies in the fact that they can replace traditional energy consuming, product destroying separation steps like distillation, evaporation, sterilization etc.
From the point of view of unit operations the membrane separations are not elaborted yet, comparing with research results on membrane materials and membrane constructions. The transport phenomenon on membranes are not worked out, basic theoretical and design correlations are missing.
With our researches we intend to find some new results to establish the theoretical and experimental basis of membrane separation methods and to help the propagation of membrane technics in the food industry, in the industrial waste water treatement and in the drinking water production.
The Szent István University, Department of Food Engineering posesses laboratory and pilot scale membrane apparats, flat sheet, hollow fiber and spiral wound modules, which are necessary for the experiments. The team of the Department has long experience in modeling of membrane processes, good results in international cooperation and admitted publication activity.
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The planned researches are based on previous works done at the Szent Istvan University, Department of Food Engineering. We intend to continue and deepen some results, and beside that to begin new researches:
Laboratory scale membrane filtration experiments (MF, UF, NF, RO) with row materials of the food industry: separation of whey and juices of sugar industry, treatement of vegetable oil and oily by-products, removal of arsenic and humic substances from drinking water, removal of salts, volatile and non-volatile components from industrial waste water, treatement of the waste of drinking water production.
Investigation of joint processes (traditional technics coupled with membrane filtration) for economic purposes. Elaboration of the influence of operation parameters, optimization, economic calcultations.
Modelling of mass transfer on the base of membrane filtration experiments.
Investigation of scale-up: design of industrial size equipment, using the mathematical models, complex optimization of the technological processes.
The research results will be published in international and Hungarian journals, presented in international and national congresses. Young colleagues, PhD students and graduate students will prepare their docktoral thesis and diploma works, so the planned researches will serve their scientific education.