EFFECT OF DYNAMIC INTERFACIAL-TENSION ON THE EMULSIFICATION PROCESS USING MICROPOROUS, CERAMIC MEMBRANES

Conventional devices used in industrial emulsification processes dispe rse the inner phase by droplet disruption of high energetic laminar or turbulent flow. Membrane emulsification is different because small dr oplets are directly formed at the surface of a microporous membrane. E nergy consumption of the process is lower, and the stresses on the sys tem at the membrane surface and inside the pores are smaller. This all ows processing of shear-sensitive substances. The result of the emulsi fication process can be described by the mean droplet size and the flu x of the disperse phase. Among other parameters, pore size of the memb rane, pressure of the disperse phase, and adsorption kinetics of the e mulsifier influence the results of emulsification. The faster the emul sifier molecules adsorb at newly formed interfaces, the smaller the dr oplets of the emulsion produced. Transmembrane pressure greatly influe nces the flux but causes little change in droplet size. (C) 1998 Acade mic Press.