Organic-inorganic composite membrane preparation and characterization for biorefining

Membrane separation technologies have been extensively investigated for biorefinery separations such as biofuel separation, algal biomass harvesting, recovery of hemicelluloses from hydrolyzates, and dehydration of organic solutes. However, the main drawback of the membrane is fouling. Many approaches have been developed to mitigate polymeric membrane fouling, one of which is to use nanomaterials. Nanocomposites are a composite in which at least one dimension of the dispersed phase (ie, the filler) is in the nanometer range. Nanoparticles, especially the hydrophilic types, are demonstrated to have great potential in improving the organic-inorganic nanocomposite membrane performance in terms of flux, rejection, antifouling characteristics, and thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. In this chapter, nanotechnology is briefly explained and its application for fabricating mixed-matrix membranes is discussed. Finally, applications of these membranes in the biorefinery process are reviewed.