Flow of Multicomponent Electrolyte Solutions through Narrow Pores of Nanofiltration Membranes

The slow flow of a multicomponent electrolyte solution in a narrow pore of a nanofiltration membrane is considered. The well-known semiempirical method of subdivision of electrical potential into quasi-equilibrium and streaming parts and the definition of streaming concentrations and pressure are discussed. The usefulness of this tool for solving the electrohydrodynamic equations is shown and justified: the use of a small parameter enables a system of electrohydrodynamic partial differential equations to be reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations for streaming functions. Boundary conditions for streaming functions at both the capillary inlet and outlet are derived. The proposed model is developed for the flow of a multicomponent electrolyte solution with an arbitrary number of ions. This is coupled with (i) the introduction of specific interactions between all ions and the pore wall and (ii) the inclusion of the dissociation of water in both conservation and transport equations. Effective distribution coefficients of ions are introduced that are functions of both the specific interaction potentials and the surface potential of the nanofiltration membrane material. The axial dependency of surface potential is expressed by the use of a charge regulation model from which the discontinuity in electric potential and ion pore concentrations at the pore inlet and outlet can be described. A relation between the frequently used capillary and homogeneous models of nanofiltration membranes is developed. An example of application of the homogeneous model for interpretation of experimental data on nanofiltration separation of electrolyte solutions is presented, which shows a reasonable predictive ability for the homogeneous model. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.