ABSTRACT
In recent years, the focus of research in membrane contactors has shifted to applications of a Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactor (HFMC), which achieves gas/liquid or liquid/liquid mass transfer without dispersion of one phase in another. This is accomplished by passing the fluids on opposite sides of a microporous membrane. HFMC-based technology provides non-dispersive contact along with larger interfacial area per unit volume than conventional contactors. Important applications utilizing HFMC technology have been demonstrated in fermentation, pharmaceuticals, wastewater treatment, chiral separations, semiconductor manufacturing, carbonation of beverages, metal ion extraction, protein extraction, VOC removal from waste gas, and osmotic distillation. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
