Milton Chai

 Milton

PhD Candidate
Contact Details
T: +61420389630
E: milton.chai@unsw.edu.au
Add:

Room 208, Chemical Sciences Bldg
The University of New South Wales
Sydney, 2052, Australia

Profile

Education

  • Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Hons 1) 2011-2014, UNSW, Sydney, Australia

EMPLOYMENT

  • Research assistant (Mar. 2015-Jul. 2015), UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science &

    Technology, UNSW

Research Project

Vibrating Membrane Systems for Bio-separation

In membrane applications for bio-separation, fouling is a key factor that determines the system performance. Conventional strategies employed to limit fouling include high cross-flow velocities or air bubbling. However, this is less effective when high viscosity solutions are involved as in fermentation or high concentration milk protein concentrate solutions. Although the use of membrane vibration is less common, systems such as VSEP are known for their ability to produce high permeate flux. As opposed to flat sheet systems that are commercially available, the application of membrane vibration in hollow fibre modules remains limited. Therefore, the project aims to have an in-depth understanding of vibrating hollow fibre membrane systems for bio-separation applications, especially with high concentration feeds. In addition to a transverse vibration module, a novel rotational vibration module will be investigated. Both fouling limitation mechanisms and its effect on separation/fractionation efficiency will also be explored. The hydrodynamic aspect of these systems will also be investigated using computational fluid dynamics simulations.

Supervisors