Separation of water-oil emulsions with a dynamic membrane of gelatin on a nylon substrate

Abstract

Introduction: According to the study of water-oil emulsion, chemical composition, and properties of oil-in-water type, they proposed the method of membrane separation for emulsion petroleum products (PPs). To increase the degree of PP separation from a water-oila emulsion, they offered the method of a dynamic layer application to the surface of a microfiltration membrane. Research Tasks: Nylon-gelatin dynamic membranes with a different content of the gelatin layer 1.6–6.3% (by weight) were obtained on the membrane surface by the filtration of colloidal gelatin solution through the nylon membrane with the particle sizes of the dispersed phase from 13 to 4153 nm. Methods: Using the wetting surface droplet method, it is determined that the initial nylon and the modified nylon-gelatin membrane have the properties of a hydrophilic surface, which effectively separates oil-in-water emulsions. Results: It was found that the specific productivity of the modified membrane decreased by 4.5 times after the application of a dynamic layer of gelatin. It was determined that the degree of PP separation from an emulsion with an initial nylon membrane makes no more than 46.7%. Conclusion: Moreover, after the modification, the degree of separation increased to 51%, depending on the amount of gelatin containing on the membrane surface. The maximum degree of WOE PP separation makes 97.4% with the gelatin content of 6.3% (by weight).