Membranes capable of separating CO 2 from methane or nitrogen at high temperature and high pressures,may remove CO 2 from natural gas, or recover CO 2 from combustion exhaust gases. Hydrophilic membranes selective to water can be used for dewatering of organic solvents, breaking azeotropes and concentrating liquids. Such membranes may also be used to remove water in condensation reactions to increase yield. Hydrophobic membranes for splitting organic solutions by selective removal of one component. Membranes for liquid filtration.
Typical examples are oil-water separation, particle removal and salconcentrations.
In the Ceramics Group, membranes and membrane processes are developed for processes as those described above. These membranes are typically made of ceramic oxide materials. The membrane is usually a thin selective layer supported on a mechanically strong substrate. This so-called asymmetric structure minimises the resistance to flow through the membrane. Porous membranes can separate molecules by size or due to chemical interaction with the surface.