Centre for
Surface Chemistry and Catalysis - Membrane Research
Research Profile
Membrane research was
initiated at the Department of Interphase Chemistry of the K.U.Leuven in the
beginning of the nineties. It has since then been expanded, but always stayed
closely link to catalysis, the main emphasis of the Department.
Main current research
activities
- Development of new membranes for separations and catalysis
(polymeric, ceramic and organomineral)
- Incorporation of fillers in polymeric membranes for improved
performance in solvent and aqueous medium
- Preparation of ultra-thin ceramic membranes
- Description of membrane
transport mechanisms
- Study of transport of solutes and solvents through
nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes
- High-throughput testing of
membranes
- Development of equipment and strategies to allow fast, automated
screening and optimisation of membranes and process parameters
- Catalytic membranes
- Incorporation of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in
polymeric membranes to improve their performance
- Coupling of homogeneously catalysed processes to membrane
separations to allow catalyst recycle and facilitated product
purification
Courses
Since 2003, an under-graduate
course on Membrane
Technology is
organised by the Department (Master's in Bio-Engineering Sciences: Catalytic
Technology).
Under-graduate students
also participate directly in membrane research via short projects that are
part of the courses ‘Projectwerk
Interfasechemie'
en ‘Projectpracticum
in de scheikunde'.
Facilities
Membrane synthesis
- Thin film applicator
- Several other types of laboratory made equipment for small-scale
coating of flat sheet membranes
- Spin coater
- Vacuum ovens
Filtration equipment
- 4 dead-end microfiltration
cells
- 4 nanofiltration/reverse
osmosis cells (P < 60 bar)
- 1 cross-flow filtration cell
- 1 evapomeation cell
- 3 dialysis cells
- 5 pervaporation cells (2 single cell set-ups, 1 set-up with 3
cells in series)
 
Catalytic membrane reactors
- 1 tubular catalytic membrane
reactors
- 2 flat sheet catalytic membrane reactors
- Several (reactor/membrane module) coupled set-ups
High-throughput membrane testing and combinatorial membrane synthesis
- 2 liquid handling robots
- Several ultra-fast GCs and HPLCs
- 1 high-throughput membrane test module for simultaneous testing
of 16 membranes in pressure driven operations.
Click here to see a video showing the automated preparation of
membrane casting solutions, casting via phase inversion and the
high-throughput testing in solvent resistent nanofiltration.
Publications (download pdf
file)
Contact
Prof. Ivo Vankelecom
Centre for Surface Science and
Catalysis
Department of Interphase Chemistry
Facultry of Bio-engineering
Sciences
K.U.Leuven
Kasteelpark Arenberg 23
3001 Leuven
Belgium
Tel: + 32-16-32.15.94
Fax: + 32-16-32.19.98
E-mail: ivo.vankelecom@biw.kuleuven.be
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