This work is concerned with an alternative method for metal ion removal from aqueous solutions - surfactant enhanced ultrafiltration. Surfactant monomers aggregate above a certain concentration, specific to the surfactant, to form micelles. Anionic surfactant micelles will attract and bind metal cations. Free metal ions and surfactant monomers pass freely through an ultrafiltration membrane, but if the micelle-metal ion complex is sufficiently large it is rejected. Research reported in this thesis has been carried out on well defined aqueous solutions containing only one type of metal ion together with the natural surfactant lecithin. Lecithin is a food grade by-product of the soybean processing industry and it was chosen because it is non-toxic, biodegradable, abundant and inexpensive. It has a high molecular weight of about 750 Daltons and forms large size micelles. The main aim was to identify the basic mechanisms which influence the permeate flux and rejection levels of the process. The project was carried out in three stages. Stage one was the characterisation of the feed solution which included the determination of the critical micelle concentration using surface tension measurements, measurement of micelle size and zeta potential using a Malvern zeta sizer and visualisation of the micelle shape using scanning electron microscopy of freeze fractured lecithin solution droplet. In the second stage filtration experiments were carried out at a wide range of lecithin concentrations, metal ion concentrations and operating conditions. The experiments were run for 5 hours, by which stage a steady state condition was reached in all cases. Permeate samples were taken after I, 3 and 5 hours. Permeate flux was monitored throughout the experiment. The following properties were monitored for the feed solution at the beginning and the end of each experiment and for all permeate samples: lecithin concentration, copper concentration, pH, conductivity. In the 3 stage Electron Dispersive Analysis by X-ray (EDAX), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and a X-ray Photoelectron Spectrum Technique (XPS) were employed to investigate any membrane feed solution interactions. The results of the 3 stages were used to identify the basic mechanisms which control the permeate flux levels and the extent of component rejection in lecithin enhanced ultrafiltration.

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Estudos aplicados ao processo de filtração tangencial têm sido o objetivo de muitos trabalhos devido a sua ampla capacidade de adequação aos mais diversos processos industriais. Os mecanismos de transferência associados a esse processo envolvem basicamente o escoamento em tubos permeáveis (ou membranas) com fenômenos de transferência de massa presentes junto à superfície. Esta tese de doutorado apresenta uma modelagem numérica capaz de representar o escoamento de fluidos newtonianos e não-newtonianos em tubos permeáveis aplicada ao processo de filtração tangencial, para os regimes de escoamento laminar e turbulento. No regime turbulento, utilizou-se o modelo de comprimento de mistura de Prandtl. O modelo numérico envolveu as equações de conservação da massa, da quantidade de movimento e das espécies químicas, acopladas a adequadas condições de fronteira. Em particular, por se tratar de um modelo numérico, analisou-se a discretização dos termos convectivos por meio da implementação de três esquemas: WACEB, CUBISTA e QUICKEST adaptativo. Os resultados produzidos pela implementação dos esquemas convectivos foram analisados por meio de comparações com resultados analíticos e experimentais da literatura, para regimes de escoamento laminar e turbulento. De acordo com as comparações realizadas, o esquema QUICKEST adaptativo apresentou melhor desempenho na modelagem desse escoamento. Diversas simulações numéricas geraram resultados, os quais foram comparados com expressões analíticas e dados experimentais da literatura e com dados produzidos pelo laboratório do Núcleo de Engenharia Térmica e Fluidos (NETeF) da USP São Carlos. Verificou-se, assim, que o modelo matemático produziu resultados compatíveis com o fenômeno estudado, tendo-se, portanto, uma ferramenta para descrição do problema convectivo mássico do escoamento em tubos permeáveis. / Studies applied to the crossflow filtration process have been the goal of several researches due to its large capacity for adaptation to the various industrial processes. The mechanism of transfer associated with this process basically involves fiows in permeable tubes (or membranes) with the phenomenon of mass transfer on the surface. This doctoral thesis presents a numerical modeling able to represent the fiow of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fiuids in permeable tubes applied to the process of crossflow filtration, in laminar and turbulent flow regimes. In the turbulent regime the Prandtl mixing length model was used. The numerical model involved the mass conservation, momentum conservation and mass transport equations coupled to the appropriate boundary conditions. In particular, as it is a numerical model, the discretization of convective terms was analyzed through the implementation of three schemes: WACEB, CUBISTA and adaptative QUICKEST. The results produced by the implementation of the convective schemes were analyzed through comparisons with experimental and analytical results from the literature, for laminar and turbulent flow regImes. According to the comparisons made, adaptative QUICKEST scheme showed the best performance in the modeling in this flow. Several numerical simulations generated results, which were compared with experimental data and analytical expressions of the literature and with data produced by the laboratory of the Center of Thermal Thermal and Fluids Engineering (NETeF) of the EESC- USP/São Cados. It was possible to verify, that the mathematical model produced results consistent with the phenomenon studied, and can be considered a tool for the description of the mass convective problem flow in permeavel tubes.

Estudos aplicados ao processo de filtração tangencial têm sido o objetivo de muitos trabalhos devido a sua ampla capacidade de adequação aos mais diversos processos industriais. Os mecanismos de transferência associados a esse processo envolvem basicamente o escoamento em tubos permeáveis (ou membranas) com fenômenos de transferência de massa presentes junto à superfície. Esta tese de doutorado apresenta uma modelagem numérica capaz de representar o escoamento de fluidos newtonianos e não-newtonianos em tubos permeáveis aplicada ao processo de filtração tangencial, para os regimes de escoamento laminar e turbulento. No regime turbulento, utilizou-se o modelo de comprimento de mistura de Prandtl. O modelo numérico envolveu as equações de conservação da massa, da quantidade de movimento e das espécies químicas, acopladas a adequadas condições de fronteira. Em particular, por se tratar de um modelo numérico, analisou-se a discretização dos termos convectivos por meio da implementação de três esquemas: WACEB, CUBISTA e QUICKEST adaptativo. Os resultados produzidos pela implementação dos esquemas convectivos foram analisados por meio de comparações com resultados analíticos e experimentais da literatura, para regimes de escoamento laminar e turbulento. De acordo com as comparações realizadas, o esquema QUICKEST adaptativo apresentou melhor desempenho na modelagem desse escoamento. Diversas simulações numéricas geraram resultados, os quais foram comparados com expressões analíticas e dados experimentais da literatura e com dados produzidos pelo laboratório do Núcleo de Engenharia Térmica e Fluidos (NETeF) da USP São Carlos. Verificou-se, assim, que o modelo matemático produziu resultados compatíveis com o fenômeno estudado, tendo-se, portanto, uma ferramenta para descrição do problema convectivo mássico do escoamento em tubos permeáveis. / Studies applied to the crossflow filtration process have been the goal of several researches due to its large capacity for adaptation to the various industrial processes. The mechanism of transfer associated with this process basically involves fiows in permeable tubes (or membranes) with the phenomenon of mass transfer on the surface. This doctoral thesis presents a numerical modeling able to represent the fiow of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fiuids in permeable tubes applied to the process of crossflow filtration, in laminar and turbulent flow regimes. In the turbulent regime the Prandtl mixing length model was used. The numerical model involved the mass conservation, momentum conservation and mass transport equations coupled to the appropriate boundary conditions. In particular, as it is a numerical model, the discretization of convective terms was analyzed through the implementation of three schemes: WACEB, CUBISTA and adaptative QUICKEST. The results produced by the implementation of the convective schemes were analyzed through comparisons with experimental and analytical results from the literature, for laminar and turbulent flow regImes. According to the comparisons made, adaptative QUICKEST scheme showed the best performance in the modeling in this flow. Several numerical simulations generated results, which were compared with experimental data and analytical expressions of the literature and with data produced by the laboratory of the Center of Thermal Thermal and Fluids Engineering (NETeF) of the EESC- USP/São Cados. It was possible to verify, that the mathematical model produced results consistent with the phenomenon studied, and can be considered a tool for the description of the mass convective problem flow in permeavel tubes.

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No description available.