Patent · US Expired

Method and system for extracting a solute from a fluid using dense gas and a porous membrane

US5490884A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
17References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 9, 1994
Grant dateFeb 13, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 9, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB01D61/00
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

This invention is directed to a method and system for extracting a solute from a fluid or a dense gas using a porous membrane. The invention includes providing a porous membrane having opposite sides in a module under pressure, with the membrane serving as a barrier interface between a fluid and a dense gas. The dense gas is introduced into the module on one side of the membrane and the fluid is introduced on the opposite side of the membrane. At least one of the fluid and dense gas contains a solute to be extracted, and the other one of the fluid and dense gas serves as an extracting medium. The dense gas has a density of at least about 0.5 g/cc and is essentially immiscible in the fluid so as to provide two phases. The process is conducted with the pressure on both sides of the membrane in the module being essentially the same, and the solute is extracted across the membrane as driven by the concentration gradient of the solute across the membrane. Preferably, the porous membrane is a bundle of hollow fiber membranes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.