Call-for-Interest to join user committee for ‘Epoxy Hollow Fibers’

28/01/2025
Calls

Epoxy Hollow Fibers: epoxy hollow fiber membranes for separation processes under extreme conditions. 

Context

Membrane technology is getting increased attention in many industries as it enables closed loop practices at a lower energy cost than traditional separation techniques. Membranes, being semi-permeable materials, can be used to purify liquid streams, for example to treat waste waters, or the separate gases, for example to remove CO2 from flue gas. The wider adoption of membrane technology is hindered by challenges such as the limited chemical stability, causing the membranes to degrade when purifying acidic, caustic or solvent-containing streams. Moreover, it remains a challenge to concurrently obtain a high selectivity and a high productivity. However, it has a high potential for many industries, including the (petro)chemical, pharmaceutical and water treatment industries as it can be run on electricity, is modular, facilitates a circular economy, and creates no waste streams.

Recently, epoxy chemistry was introduced at KU Leuven as a novel chemistry platform to make water purification and gas separation membranes. These epoxy membranes are resistant to most conditions thanks to the intrinsic robustness of epoxy chemistry and can hence be used to purify aqueous streams at pH 0-14, solvent-containing streams, and gaseous streams containing corrosive substances. In addition, these membranes are temperature-resistant and can be cleaned with bleach (chlorine). Epoxy membranes thus offer a solution to the degradation of current commercial membranes upon exposure to harsh conditions.

So far, epoxy membranes have only been synthesized as flat sheets to obtain spiral-wound membrane modules (SWMM). However, they also have potential to be transformed from flat sheets into hollow fibers (HF), to achieve hollow fiber membrane modules. These modules have a higher packing density, are less prone to fouling, and are more scalable than SWMM. The Roth group (TU Twente and UDE) has expertise in converting novel chemistries into HF membranes.

Goals

The goal of this project is to develop epoxy-based hollow fiber (HF) membranes for harsh separations. This will be achieved by combining the knowledge on epoxy chemistry at KU Leuven (BE) and HF synthesis at Uni DUE (DE).

The key objectives of this project are:

  • Production of hollow-fiber (HF) membranes: Epoxy chemistry will be transferred from flat sheet membranes to hollow fiber membranes to achieve a higher packing density, decrease fouling propensity, and enable easy module assembly. Well-characterized epoxy HF membranes will be produced, which will help to better understand the structure-function relationship. For example, the impact of epoxy monomers and solvent on the final membrane structure and performance will be investigated.
  • Production of hollow-fiber membrane modules. The project aims to deliver HF membrane modules that can be tested our partner’s sites to obtain industrially relevant performance data.
  • Tailor-made membranes to meet industry needs: HF membrane synthesis parameters will be systematically optimized to obtain the required performance for a specific application. This tailored approach is possible thanks to the high flexibility of epoxy chemistry.

To support this project, the consortium will apply for “CORNET” funding. CORNET (COllective Research NETworking) is a network of ministries and funding agencies that combine their existing funding schemes to increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The goal of CORNET funding is to realize further international research projects for the benefits of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in various countries and regions, with the support of research organizations. KU Leuven and UDE will be the leading research centers of this proposal.

Request

In this CORNET-project, the consortium is looking for additional partners to join the user committee. The research partners are seeking industrial partners to test tailored epoxy-based HF membranes in specific end applications and evaluate their desired properties. Partners having expertise in life-cycle analysis, green chemistry, and process optimization are also highly desired to join this project. Companies may span across different sectors such as:

  • CO2 emitters;
  • Water treatment;
  • Packaging;
  • Pharmaceuticals,
  • Cosmetics;
  • Textile finishing;

When companies take part, they can actively co-steer the project by joining the user committee. These users have the opportunity to include specific cases, give their advice on the activities, and are also the first to be informed about all progress. In addition, the results from the R&D at KU Leuven and Uni DUE will be made available to all partners.

How do I reply?

Please send an email before 18/02/2025 to Aron Deneyer (adeneyeratcatalisti.be (adeneyer[at]catalisti[dot]be); +32 472 37 52 60) with Bert Boekaerts (bboekaertsatcatalisti.be (bboekaerts[at]catalisti[dot]be); +32 476 57 96 56) in cc, and briefly describe your interest and potential contribution to the project.