Abrasion-Resistant Inorganic Membranes for Sugar Processing

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The sugar industry produces over 100 million tons of sugar each year. This large industry has been intrigued by the use of membranes to enhance the efficiency of production for many decades but membranes that have the correct combination of performance and cost have not yet been developed for consideration in large scale installations. High temperature, high viscosity, and membrane fouling have limited the use of polymeric membranes. Abrasion resistance and cost have limited the utilization of ceramic membranes. The use of low-cost, durable, inorganic membranes in the sugar industry would increase flexibility in sugar production and reduce cost. The membranes could be used to sterilize juice and process liquors for subsequent processing increasing production flexibility or used to replace precoat filters thereby eliminating the costs of filter-aid sludge dewatering and disposal. In addition, this membrane technology could be used for other applications such as grain processing for corn sweeteners and production of ethanol as an alternative fuel.