The invention refers to the development of a technology operating in continuous mode to produce organic polymeric membranes supported onto glass spheres of variable size, to obtain efficient, ready-to-use adsorbent systems, dimensionally stable over the time, based on a combination of low-cost, durable and operationally stable materials. It is a “all-in-one”, modular, controllable and safe process that can be automated, which enables the minimization of the materials losses as well as the exposition of the operators to reagents/solvents.
The adsorbent systems can be employed in numerous industrial sectors, particularly in water decontamination/potabilization processes.
Patent Status
PENDING
Priority Number
102020000032957
Priority Date
31/12/2020
License
ITALY
Market
The application areas of the invention are:
Problem
The use of membranes in wastewater, marine and brackish water treatment is ever increasing in the past decade; this is due to their applicability in large-scale processes, their adaptability to different operational conditions, and to the possibility of utilization under sustainable energy conditions. Particularly, membranes based on poly(ether-ether-ketone) sulfonate (“SPEEK”), including the cross-linked option), are widely used in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes. Fabricating filtration systems by coating membranes onto various materials is a well-known technique which has the major advantage of enhancing the surface area of the membrane itself, thereby leading to a greater efficiency of the whole system.
Current Technology Limits
Typical coating processes are realized by immersion, casting, or spray techniques, which are difficult to scale-up on a large-scale, e.g. because of the limited coating homogeneity that can be achieved.
Literature search (including patent search) reveals that the development of the coating processes in continuous flow mode is poorly explored. No examples of polymeric organic coating (particularly ion-exchange membrane) onto glass spheres or any other granular material through continuous flow technique are reported. The use of systems in continuous mode can guarantee the formation of homogeneous “coatings”, in considerably reduced process times.
Killer Application
Our Technology and Solution
The technology is intended to realize efficient adsorption systems, to be employed in fixed-bed columns with application in different industrial sectors, preferably water decontamination and/or potabilization processes. Particularly, it is realized the coating of glass beads with ion-exchange poly(ether-ether-ketone) sulfonate (SPEEK)-type membrane, through continuous flow technique. In addition, the present invention preferably refers to cross-linked SPEEK-type membranes, featuring a high sulfonation degree (i.e. a high ion exchange capability) and a polarity of the structure which assists their anchoring onto glass. Cross-linking imparts a marked chemical stability and physical robustness to the membranes, besides limiting their swelling in e.g. aqueous environment, thereby enabling them to operate under conditions of limited pressure. More specifically, it is envisaged the realization in continuous mode of the following sequence of processes: (i) coating of the glass beads with an ion exchange membrane, (ii) crosslinking of the membrane in situ by the use of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), which is classified non-toxic under the relevant legislation on chemical substances (iii) fine control of the porosity of the system by an inert gas (iv) washing and (v) drying. Integrated analytical techniques demonstrate the markedly superior homogeneity of the “coating” through continuous flow compared to that obtained by a batch process, which represents the state-of-the-art.
Advantages
This technology enables the reproducible realization of adsorbent systems based on low-cost materials, with high ion-exchange capacity, and customizable porosity (tailor-made systems). More specifically, it opens the possibility to realize:
Roadmap
The current TRL which can be associated to the technology is 3; experimental work is in progress to validate the technology in lab (TRL 4) and in relevant environments (TRL 5). It is also envisaged the incorporation of inorganic/hybrid particles in the material constituting the membrane (e.g. zirconium phosphates/phosphonates, metal organic framework (MOF), to enhance the adsorption ability of the systems and/or their dimensional stability.
A very important aspect in this technology is the possibility of automation of the flow reactor with far less efforts relative to what would be necessary for the automation of the batch counterpart, and with a better control. This is beneficial also from the point of view of the safety in the workplace.
It is envisaged the development of this technology in collaboration with SMEs operating e.g. in the sector of separation and management of wastewater from industrial processes.
TRL
Team
