ABSTRACT
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................................................. 1083 References .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1084
Membranes are employed in various industrial processes because these materials provide an efficient and economical way to separate specific compounds from specific process streams. Membranes and membrane processes are developed and optimized to suit the needs of the separation process where they are to be implemented. The main parameters of membranes are selectivity and permeability toward specific compounds and membrane stability in the process environment. Organic membranes are usually more economical than inorganic membranes unless specific properties of inorganic membranes are required such as chemical inertness, high radiation resistance, or high thermal and mechanical stabilities. Organic and inorganic membranes offer a wide range of applications and occupy an important place in modern process industry, including food, biotechnology, environmental control, and electronics and petrochemical industries [1]. However, membranes have their limitations and many
economically selective properties of ceramic or polymeric membranes only.
