In this paper, a review of the compatibility of polymeric membranes with lignocellulosic biomass is presented. The structure and composition of lignocellulosic biomass which could enhance membrane fabrications are considered. However, strong cell walls and interchain hindrances have limited the commercial-scale applications of raw lignocellulosic biomasses. These shortcomings can be surpassed to improve lignocellulosic biomass applications by using the proposed pretreatment methods, including physical and chemical methods, before incorporation into a single-polymer or copolymer matrix. It is imperative to understand the characteristics of lignocellulosic biomass and polymeric membranes, as well as to investigate membrane materials and how the separation performance of polymeric membranes containing lignocellulosic biomass can be influenced. Hence, lignocellulosic biomass and polymer modification and interfacial morphology improvement become necessary in producing mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). In general, the present study has shown that future membrane generations could attain high performance, e.g., CO2 separation using MMMs containing pretreated lignocellulosic biomasses with reachable hydroxyl group radicals.
Lignocellulosic biomass was delignified by combining physical and chemical pretreatment techniques. Then, a polysulfone-polyethylene glycol blend, which was compatible with the lignin-free biomass (0 wt% to 3.0 wt%), was used to fabricate composite membranes. The presence of hydroxyl groups after the pretreatment was evaluated via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The rheology of the polymer solutions was assessed via the viscometric method. Also, the hydrophobicity of the fabricated membranes was determined using contact angle and porosity measurements. The fabricated membranes with near superhydrophobic properties (a contact angle of approximately 140°) based on this study revealed that contactor systems and biomedical applications would benefit from this modification.
This review paper centers on recent development and progress in natural gas processing and separation using nanoparticles incorporated membranes. Development of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) is to enhance the performance of polymer membranes for CO2 separation. Overview of natural gas is illustrated. Abridged versions of MMMs development using an ideal polymer with corresponding nanoparticles are presented. The compatibility between nanoparticles with polymers is discussed. Finally, forecast on MMMs for future trends are highlighted.
Delignified lignocellulosic biomass was functionalized with amine groups. Then, the pretreated lignin-free date pits cellulose and the amine-functionalized-date pits cellulose (0–5 wt%) were incorporated into a polysulfone polymer matrix to fabricate composite membranes. The amine groups give additional hydrogen bonding to those existing from the hydroxyl groups in the date pits cellulose. The approach gives an efficient avenue to enhance the CO2 molecules’ transport pathways through the membrane matrix. The interactions between phases were investigated via Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas pure gases (CO2 and N2) were used to evaluate the gas separation performances. Additionally, the thermal and mechanical properties of the fabricated composites were tested. The pure polysulfone membrane achieved an optimum separation performance at 4 Bar. The optimum separation performance for the composite membranes is achieved at 2 wt%. About 32% and 33% increments of the ideal CO2/N2 selectivity is achieved for the lignin-free date pits cellulose composite membrane and the amine-functionalized-date pits cellulose composite membrane, respectively.
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