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Membrane Filtration

P. Dutournié

Current research activities focus on the experimental and numerical study of mass transfer in nanofiltration membranes, and low-threshold ultrafiltration membranes. This activity focuses on the study of solute/solvent/surface interactions in the pores and on the surface of the porous material. Indeed, the scientific community agrees on modeling ionic solute transfers through membrane pores by the sum of three contributions : steric, electrical, and dielectric effects. However, these contributions are currently poorly understood and difficult to estimate. In this context, a three-pronged approach has been developed, combining experimental (synthesis, production of inorganic membranes, and experimental filtration), characterization (textural and structural properties, interaction energies, etc.), and the development of theoretical and numerical tools (for simulation, property estimation using inverse techniques, etc.). These activities led to the creation of new objects with specific hydraulic and selectivity properties, to the creation of an original 2D simulation tool (integrating the boundary layer) and to the estimation of the interactions between the solvent, the surface and the solute.