PORE STRUCTURE OF GEL CHITOSAN MEMBRANES .3. PRESSURE-DRIVEN MASS-TRANSPORT MEASUREMENTS

The capillary pore model of water-swollen gels was used to interpret p ressure-driven mass transport properties of gel chitosan membranes. Pu re water hydraulic permeability coefficients, L(p), and rejection coef ficients, R, of 13 solutes ranging in molecular radius from 2.4 Angstr om (methanol) to 16 Angstrom (polyethylene glycol 6000) were measured for an untreated chitosan membrane, for two chitosan membranes crossli nked with glutaraldehyde of concentrations 0.01 and 0.1 % and coated w ith a protein, and for comparison for a commercial Cuprophan membrane. Pore radii of the membranes were determined from these results by thr ee methods: (1) L(p) method that uses water hydraulic permeability coe fficient, (2) sigma method that uses reflection coefficients, and (3) P/L(p) method that uses water diffusive permeability coefficient and w ater hydraulic permeability coefficient.