Hydrodynamic conditions and structural organisation in the deposit during cross flow membrane separation process assisted by ultrasound - application to biorefinery


PhD project

Vegetal biomass is a plentiful and renewable resource that is looked at as a future raw material for the production of many “green” products, chemicals and materials according to the concept of biorefinery. The separation of the main constituents extracted from biomass is one of the key steps of biomass processing and in this field, pressure driven membrane separation processes such as ultrafiltration are considered as promising solutions. However, the development of these techniques encounters the problem of membrane clogging that dramatically limits their efficiency.

 

Recent studies have demonstrated that ultrasounds had the ability of reducing membrane fouling and could therefore improve transmembrane fluxes.

 

This project focuses on the understanding of the mechanisms involved during an ultrasound assisted cross-flow membrane separation process, with the purpose of developing this innovative technique for applications in biorefinery.

An experimental cross-flow ultrafiltration system has been designed to study the behaviour of different colloidal suspensions (microfibrillated cellulose, cellulose nanocrystals and model clay dispersions) under the combined effects of ultrasound waves, shear flow, and pressure (image on the right).

 

In order to correlate the evolution of the concentration profiles of the layer near the membrane surface (a few hundred microns thick) to the flow fields, a multi-scale approach is developed, combining measurements at both the nanometric (1) and the micrometric (2) length scales.

Structural organisation of cellulose nanocristals near the membrane surface during ultrafiltration process and 2D SAXS patterns at different distances z to the membrane surface (from left to right : z= 20, 60, 120, 160, 200, 300, 500, 700 µm)
Structural organisation of cellulose nanocristals near the membrane surface during ultrafiltration process and 2D SAXS patterns at different distances z to the membrane surface (from left to right : z= 20, 60, 120, 160, 200, 300, 500, 700 µm)

The understanding of the phenomena induced by ultrasound waves on the particles aggregation is expected to contribute to the optimization of a new ultrasound assisted membrane separation process.

 

(1) Small Angle X-ray Scattering – SAXS

(2) Particle Image Velocimetry - PIV


CONTACTS

  • PI: Frédéric Pignon
  • Co-PI: Alain Dufresne
  • PhD: Candice Rey

PARTNERS

  • LRP
  • LGP2

FUNDING

Tec21

 

 



Project update

Articles

 

E. Gicquel, J. Bras, C. Rey, B. Jean, F. Pignon, C. Martin. Cellulose Nanocrystals: How rheological properties are affected by the ultrasonic wave and the concentration. Cellulose (in press)

 

 

Oral papers

 

C. Rey, N. Hengl, S. Baup, F. Pignon, A. Dufresne. Characterization of hydrodynamic conditions and structural organization during crossflow ultrafiltration: application to biorefinery. Journées des Jeunes Rhéologues (GFR). 30 mai – 1er juin 2016, Belle-Ile, France.

 

F. Pignon, Y. Jin, C. Rey, N. Hengl, S. Baup, A. Magnin, M. Nagalakshmaiah, N. El Kissi, A. Dufresne, E. Mauret, A. Guillet, A. Romdhane, J. Bras, E. Gicquel, Céline Martin, O. Nechyporchuk, M.N. Belgacem, B. Jean, Clélia Martin, D. Guérin, V. Meyer, P. Huber, T. Narayanan, S. Prevost, R. Dattani, Filtration Process and structured cellulosic network, PolyNat Industries International Forum 2016 - June 2th-3rd, 2016, Grenoble, France

 

C. Rey, N. Hengl, S. Baup, F. Pignon, A. Dufresne. Characterization of hydrodynamic conditions and structural organization during cross-flow ultrafiltation : application to biorefinery. International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials (TAPPI NANO 2016), 13-16 juin 2016, Grenoble, France.

 

A. De Geyer, E. Gicquel, C. Rey, N. Hengl, B. Jean, J. Bras, C. Martin, F. Pignon, S. Prevost, T. Narayanan, “in situ Rheo-SAXS study of cellulose nanocrystals suspensions”, ACS 253rd National Meeting, 2-6 Avril 2017, San Francisco Etats Unis

 

C. Rey, N.Hengl, S. Baup, F. Pignon, A. Dufresne, H. Djeridi. Characterization of hydrodynamic conditions and structural organization during cross-flow ultrafiltation : application to biorefinery. 11th International Congress on Membrane Processes (ICOM 2017), 31 juillet – 4 août 2017, San Francisco, Etats-unis.

 

C. Rey, N. Hengl, S. Baup, F. Pignon, A. Dufresne, H. Djeridi, In-situ local flow fields and shear stress near membrane surface of colloidal suspensions concentrated during cross-flow ultrafiltration probed by SAXS and micro-PIV. (Euromembrane 2018), 9th - 13th Juillet 2018, Valencia, Espagne.

 

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