Investigation and Analysis of Concentration Polarization and its Consequences in Modeling the Performance of Polymeric Gas Separation

Concentration polarization in the membrane processes refers to the phenomena caused as a result of increasing the concentration of less permeable component at the close boundary of the membrane surface. This leads to the concentration gradient in between the surface and the bulk phases with negative effects on the permeation driving force as well as selectivity and process performance. Upon emergence of the new generation of polymeric membranes possessing accelerated flux and permeability, concentration polarization and its effects have gained more attentions in process modeling and performance evaluation. Accordingly, numerous mathematical models have been proposed by various researchers aiming to shed lights on the role and effects of concentration polarization in gas separation membranes. In-depth investigations and analysis of the subject toward reaching comprehensive and concluding remarks are necessary considering the complexities involved in the subject. The main purpose of this study is to provide an overview on the key principles of concentration polarization, to review and analyze the most important research studies carried out in this field in the past few years and to reinvestigate the governing equations associated to the concentration polarization and its effects on the performance of polymeric gas separation membranes.