RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Molecular weight cut off (MWCO) determination in ultra- and nanofiltration: Review of methods and implications on organic matter removal
A1 Imbrogno, A.
A1 Calvo, José I.
A1 Breida, M.
A1 Schwaiger, R.
A1 Schäfer, Andrea I.
K1 polyethylene glycol; oligosaccharide; pore size distribution; liquid chromatography; size exclusion
AB Estimation of membrane molecular weight cut off (MWCO) in the range between ultrafiltration (UF)18 and nanofiltration (NF) is challenging because retention is not controlled only by size exclusion. This19 review provides an experimental and theoretical overview of the membrane MWCO in the range from20 UF to loose NF (from 500 to 0.7 kDa) to evaluate the significance of membrane MWCO on predicting21 retention of organic solutes when approaching NF pore structure. The experimental section includes22 filtration of: i) organic tracers with different molecular weights (MW) and properties (e.g.23 polyethylene glycol (PEG) and oligosaccharides), and ii) natural organic matter (e.g. humic acid,24 alginic acid, Tanzanian and Australian organic matter) in the MWCO range between UF and NF, at25 minimal concentration polarization. The role of molecule structure, size exclusion and charge26 shielding when filtering organic solutes is elucidated. The molecular structure of uncharged organic27 tracers plays a major role on MWCO estimation, especially for loose NF membranes, where28 oligosaccharides are retained more effectively compared to PEG tracers of similar MW. The MWCO29 determined by PEG filtration and estimated from the pore radius distribution are consistent in the UF30 range from 1 to 500 kDa, indicating major contribution of size exclusion. Conversely, MWCO of31 loose NF membranes determined with PEG tracers is overestimated. Charged organics, such as humic32 acid (1.5 kDa < MW< 3 kDa), shows retention between 60 and 80% for UF membrane MWCO below33 30 kDa (pore radius < 14 nm) and full retention by loose NF (pore radius below 1.4 nm). This is34 explained with an interplay of size exclusion and charge shielding in the pore. This review can assist35 in the selection of the organic tracer and operating conditions for membrane MWCO determination36 between UF and NF, elucidating the relevance of membrane MWCO in organic matter retention.
PB Elsevier B.V.
SN 1383-5866
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83390
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83390
LA spa
NO Separation and Purification Technology, Volume 354, Part 2, 2025, 128612
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 10-mar-2026