1.

Executive Summary
The Office Department research of Program (DOE) Analysis in the Office of Energy Research of the

of Energy

commissioned separation

this study industry.

to evaluate

and prioritize

needs in the membrane

One of the primary support energy the development consumption

goals of the U.S. Department of energy-efficient

of Energy

is to foster

and

new technologies.

In 1987, the total of which

of all sectors

of the U.S. economy

was 76.8 quads, sector,

approximately $100 billion. because energy enhanced energy

29.5 quads, Reductions

or 38%. was used by the industrial in energy consumption on foreign

at a cost of importance,

are of strategic energy supplies.

they reduce efficiency

U.S. dependence

Improving productivity

the and

of production

technology

can lead to increased in world markets.

competitiveness

of U.S. products

Processes pollution.

that use

inefficiently

are also significant

sources of environmental

The therefore, significant separation

rationale very clear. reductions techniques.

for

seeking

innovative,

energy-saving

technologies which with

is, offers

One such technology in energy Membranes

is membrane in

separation,

consumption separate

comparison into

thermal by

mixtures

components

discriminating size, charge producing retaining oxygen

on the basis of a physical or solubility.

or chemical

attribute,

such as molecular salts, the basis of while

They can pass water while retaining

potable bacteria, and

water from the sea. the basis There

They are used for passing solutions, They can separate for membranes systems

for cold sterilization. are numerous

air into in the are of

nitrogen.

applications separation

world today. greater these

Total sales of industrial annuaily.2 States

membrane The United

worldwide supplier

than $1 billion systems. United

States is a dominant is being

dominance

of the industry European

challenged,

however,

by Japanese

and, to a lesser extent,

competitors.

Some important costs are

membranes criterion. relatively

are Others

used

in circumstances in small-scale report

where

energy

saving where

is an energy

are used

applications at the

unimportant. status

This

looks

major

membrane to energy

processes

to assess their

and potential, 4

particularly

with regard

Executive

Summary

saving. although for energy

Related outside

technologies,

for

example

the

membrane

catalytic

reactor, potential

the scope of this study,

are believed

to have additional

savings.

This report the various discussions, group fields

was prepared of membrane

by a group technology. priority

of six membrane

experts

representing and review by the osmosis, and

Based on group meetings research topics

a list of five

to seven major

was prepared areas: reverse

for each of the seven microfiltration, These

membrane

technology pervaporation,

ultrafiltration, facilitated 38 research

electrodialysis, items were

gas separation

transport. topics,

incorporated

into a master

list, totaling

which were then ranked in order of priority.

The highest organic

ranked

research Another

topic was pervaporation pervaporation-related modules research ranked

membranes topic seventh.

for organicthe

separations.

concerning

development ranking rapidly consumes refineries.s quads. substantially

of organic-solvent-resistant two pervaporation technology.

The very high of this and

of these developing

topics

reflects

the promise

Distillation used

is an energy-intensive plants

operation and

28% of the energy The total annual Replacement reduce

in all U.S. chemical energy of consumption

petroleum 2

distillation

is approximately

or augmentation usage.

distillation

by pervaporation

could

this energy

If even 10% of this energy could be saved distillation/pervaporation systems, this

by using membranes, would represent

for example

in hybrid

an energy savings of 0.2 quad, or IO6 barrels of oil per day.

Three in the top which the

topics relating

to the development list.

of gas-separation

membranes

ranked

10 of the master United States

Membrane-based leader. threat

gas separation The dominant because and on

is an area in of U.S.

was a world is under

position

suppliers, attention

and U.S. research, being devoted

of erosion

of the increased companies, gas-

to the subject Increased

by Japanese emphasis

European

governments separation generation controlled

and research

institutions.

membrane-based

and development for

would increase

the probability

that the new will be

technology by the United

high-performance, The attendant

ultrathin benefits

membranes

States.

would be that membraneenergy-intensive savings that

based gas separation separation

would become competitive over a much broader

with conventional, spectrum.

technologies

The energy

Membrane

Separation

Systems

might by

be achieved potential

by membrane-based applications. as a result If

gas-separation high-grade

technology

are exemplified streams were

two

oxygen-enriched of better could

available membranes, energy

at low cost, then

of the development through

oxygen-selective be made from more use of It is in an

combustion Various enriched

processes

industry

efficient. oxygen that

estimates

have placed the energy

savings

high-grade estimated

air at between to upgrade

0.06 and 0.36 quads per year. sour natural gas will result

using

membranes

energy savings of 0.01 quads per year.

The second oxidation-resistant reverse-osmosis However, performance, acetate they

highest

priority

topic in the master membranes. adequate salt

list was the development The current and generation water

of of flux.

reverse membranes are

osmosis have

rejection

susceptible

to degradation membranes

by sterilizing could displace

oxidants. existing osmosis,

Highcellulose

oxidation-resistant

membranes

and open up new applications The energy 0.09 quads. Btu/lb of water use for evaporation Reverse

of reverse

particularly has been an energy energy

in food processing. estimated input of at about 20-40

in the food industry typically Assuming requires an

osmosis

removed. processes result

average

consumption of reverse 0.04-0.05

for conventional osmosis

evaporation could

of 600 Btu/lb,

the substitution savings of

for evaporation

in a potential

energy

quads.

In general, priority with

facilitated-transport

related

topics

scored group for

low

in the

master

list, reflecting which membrane

the disenchantment scientists have

of the expert been viability. struggling

with a technology the last 20 years

without transport, research

reaching

the point of practical solid-carrier of four.

The development was, however,

of facilitatedgiven a high membranes than polymer production

oxygen-selective, priority ranking

membranes

If stable,

solid facilitated-transport much higher selectivities and nitrogen

could really be developed, membranes, industries. and have

they might offer effect

a major

on the oxygen

The principal development priority

problem

in ultrafiltration ultrafiltration development

technology

is membrane

fouling.

The

of fouling-resistant of six. The

membranes of

was given

a research

ranking

fouling-resistant

ultrafiltration

Executive

Summary

membranes

would have a major impact on cost and energy industries, for example.

savings

in the milk and

cheese production

Two high-priority area, namely, high-temperature well developed been in the development solvent

topics

cover

research

opportunities modules

in the microfiltration and development Microfiltration industrial water focus and of is a has

of low-cost resistant

microfiltration

membranes successful food

and modules. industry, whose Drinking

and commercially pharmaceutical and

industries. applications design

sewage

treatment membranes incompatible for societal not find

are new, and

but non-glamorous equipment whose

for microfiltration, and execution

requiring may be

concept industry

with the mission impact the

of the private is great,

participants. microfiltration technical

The potential firms may

in this area

but existing because of

opportunity

appealing,

risks,

regulatory

constraints

or competition

from conventional

alternatives.

Reverse significant example, chemical the energy cost, a and

osmosis,

ultrafiltration potential fraction processing of

and microfiltration across the a broad wastewater

are all technologies spectrum streams of industry. from the

with For food, and

energy-savings significant petroleum

industries

are discharged

as hot streams

lost is estimated resistant and recycle

at 1 - 2 quads annually.a MF/UF/RO membrane

The development that could

of lowthe

chemically

systems result

recover

hot wastewater savings.

it to the process present

would

in considerable were

energy

If only 25% of the energy

in the wastewater

recovered,

this would result in an energy

savings of 0.25 to 0.50 quads.g

Many

of the top

10 ranked

priority

research

topics

spotlighted

technology it appears

and engineering that emerging where most progress effectively

problems. membrane toward

In the view of the authors separations competitive, by programs. technologies

of the report,

have reached industrial support

a level of maturity systems will be or

energy-efficient increasing DOE

expedited research of support

of

engineering

technology-based equally shared worthy

Applications-related scientific

research

was viewed as

as fundamental

studies.

This view was not objected that the and

unanimously

by the reviewers,

however.

Two reviewers toward practical

list of research

priorities

was too much skewed

applications

gave a low priority

to the science

of membranes,

from

whence

the long-term

Membrane

Separation

Systems

innovations felt strongly

in membrane that there

technology was too much

will come. emphasis

One reviewer,

on the other hand, issues, and that address

on basic research

most of the top priority engineering issues.

items identified

in the report

did not adequately

During research European related through

the course

of the study,

government

support

of membrane-related government and the

in Japan and Europe governments topics. Federal each

was investigated. spend close

The Japanese

to $20 million

annually research per

on membraneand development The United

support

for membrane-related about SIO-11 million

all agencies

is currently in third

year.

States is. therefore, research. of spending There

place in terms of government among some members

assistance

to membrane that this level

was concern

of the group

will ultimately

result in loss of world market share.

REFERENCES
1.

W.M. Sonnett,

personal

communication.

2.

A.M. Crull, The Evolving Membrane Industry Picture, in The 1998 Sixth Ann ua I M e m b r a n e T ec h no Ionv/Planninn Conference Proceedin (?s, Business Communications Company, Inc., Cambridge, MA (1988). Bravo, J.L., Fair, J.R. J.L. Humphrey, CL. Martin, A.F. Seibert and S. Joshi, Assessment of Potential Energy Savings in Fluid Separation Technologies: Technology Review and Recommended Research Areas, Department of Energy Report DOE/LD/12473--I (1984). Mix, T.W., Conservation Dweck, J.S., in Distillation Weinberg, M., - Final Report, and Armstrong, R.C., DOE/CS/40259 (1981). Energy

3.

4.

5.

The DQE Industrial Energy Program: Research and Development Technology. DOE publication number DOE/NBM - 80027730. Parkinson, G., Reverse Osmosis: Engineering, p.26, May 30, 1983. Trying for wider

in Separation

6.

applications,

Chemical

7.

Mohr, C.M., Engelgau, D.E., Leeper. S.A.. and Charboneau, B.L., Membrane ADoiications and Research in Food Processing, Noyes Data Corp., Park Ridge, NJ 1989. Bodine. J.F.. (ed.) Industrial Enerav Use Databoa, ORAU-160 (1980).

a.
9.

Leeper, S.A.. Stevenson, D.H., Chiu, P.Y.-C., Priebe, S.J., Sanchez, H.F., and Wikoff, P.M., Membrane Technology and Applications: An Assessment, U.S. DOE Report No. DE84009000, 1984.