Project R-13344
Title
Unravelling membrane processes in organic solvents by data-driven modelling. (Research)
Abstract
Membranes are very powerful and versatile separation tools for a more sustainable chemistry,
offering an energy-lean alternative to the ubiquitous distillations and evaporations. The
potential to use membranes in organic solvents, gave rise to a whole new R&D and application
field named Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN).
The current absence of detailed fundamental understanding of the OSN process is a bottleneck
for industrial use: membranes need to be screened based on trial and error for each solute-
solvent couple to be separated.
The main objective of this PhD project is to develop efficient, predictive data-driven OSN models,
that will allow to unravel the transport of solute and solvent through a membrane, and to
perform underpinned process design and membrane optimization, minimizing current tedious
experimental membrane screening
Period of project
16 November 2022 - 15 November 2026