Membrane filtration is used in the processing of food, beverage, and dairy streams. However, the complexity of many of these streams leads to fouling of the membrane that reduces flow through the filter, making the process more expensive. The goal of this project is to develop a novel membrane filter that is more resistant to fouling than current products, making membrane filtration more economic in current applications and viable in additional applications. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this Phase I SBIR project are to 1) demonstrate the feasibility of producing a novel ceramic membrane with a uniform, desired pore shape, and 2) demonstrate that by specifically controlling the pore shape, the novel membrane is not as prone to fouling as membrane created via the traditional routes. The anticipated successful achievement of the technical objectives laid out in the project description will lead to a MF membrane with twice the sustainable process flux of current state of the art ceramic membranes. If combined with CeraMem's patented large surface area monolith supports, the potential exists to create the novel membranes at half the cost of competitors' ceramic membranes. Such a membrane would have widespread commercial applications in food, beverage, and dairy processing. APPROACH: In Phase I, CeraMem will develop the novel membranes on small, lab-scale supports. The membranes will be characterized using standard membrane quality control tests, and the membrane pore shapes will be directly observed using optical and electron microscopy. After achieving the desired membrane structure, CeraMem will evaluate the performance of the membranes on samples of real process streams, namely beer bottoms and unfiltered craft beer. The performance of the developmental membranes will be compared to that of traditional membranes produced by CeraMem and other membrane manufacturers to measure the degree of success at meeting the program objectives
