Coupling between Membrane Processes and Crystallization Operations

The ability to couple membrane processes and crystallization operations, in order to develop efficient crystallization technologies, is increasingly reported. The main features of membrane crystallization systems are (1) to control and limit the maximum level of supersaturation due to defined mass transfer across the membrane; (2) to act as a support able to activate heterogeneous nucleation; (3) to control solid features such as size, shape, polymorphic form, and purity; and (4) to reduce energy consumption. To achieve these goals, several membrane techniques are used: reverse osmosis, membrane distillation, membrane contactor, and membrane templates. This review describes briefly the principles, applications, and advantages and drawbacks of each technique for crystallization operations.