The Impact of Fermentation Broth on Concentration of Citric acid by using Nanofiltration

Abstract

Recent developments in membrane technology have expanded the range of applicability of these traditional processes offering the processing industry as new alternatives to the more traditional technological approaches. One such development is Nanofiltration (NF). Nanofiltration is a pressure-driven membrane process which basically separates molecules large enough to avoid Reverse Osmosis(RO).NF membranes provide high rejection of organic molecules or multivalent ions having molecular weights ranging from 150 to 1000 with a relatively high-water flux, but lower operating pressure compared to RO. The main objective of this research work was to develop thin film composite membranes that can be used mostly in NF processes to concentration.The water present in feed was removed by applying pressure, so that the concentration of citric acid in feed has been enriched from 1% to 3%. This method enables very precise and controlled rejection and flux properties of the membrane.