Study of the mass transfer phenomena involved in an electrophoretic membrane contactor

Citation
S. Galier et H. Roux-de Balmann, Study of the mass transfer phenomena involved in an electrophoretic membrane contactor, J MEMBR SCI, 194(1), 2001, pp. 117-133
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Chemistry,"Chemical Engineering
Journal title
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
ISSN journal
03767388 → ACNP
Volume
194
Issue
1
Year of publication
2001
Pages
117 - 133
Database
ISI
SICI code
0376-7388(20011130)194:1<117:SOTMTP>2.0.ZU;2-X
Abstract
Electrophoretic separators, in which a porous membrane is used as a contact or, offer the possibility to scale up electrophoresis as well as to extend the field of application of electrodialysis to fractionate polyamino acids, peptides or small proteins for instance. This paper deals with the study o f the mass transfer mechanisms involved in such electroseparation processes . On one hand, a theoretical approach is carried out. The different contrib utions to the mass transfer are considered in order to establish a relation ship providing the solute concentration as function of the main parameters of the system, i.e. the operating conditions and the membrane, buffer and s olute characteristics. In this expression, a partition coefficient is used to represent the interactions taking place at the membrane-solution interfa ce. Then, an experimental study is performed with different representative solutes using a prototype apparatus in order to determine the dependence of the solvent and solute transfer with respect to the operating and physicoc hemical parameters of the system. The experimental results show the existen ce of a limiting electro-osmotic flux, the origin of which is explained. Th en the partition coefficient is determined for any set of conditions by fit ting the variations of the solute concentration calculated by the model wit h experimental ones. The dependence of the partition coefficient with respe ct to the solute and buffer characteristics, together with that of the tran smission coefficient obtained during filtration experiments, shows that the main limitation with respect to the mass transfer is due to electrostatic interactions taking place at the membrane-solution interface. (C) 2001 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.