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membrane filtration

chemistry
Also known as: membrane separation, molecular filtration

Quick Summary

Membrane filtration is a separation technique that uses semipermeable membranes to separate molecules based on their size or concentration differences. This process can be driven by diffusion due to concentration gradients, or accelerated by pressure differences (ultrafiltration) or electrical fields (electrodialysis).1

A related concept is osmosis, where only the solvent can pass through the membrane, moving from a less concentrated to a more concentrated solution. Reverse osmosis applies pressure to force the solvent against its concentration gradient, useful for purification and desalination. Dialysis is another membrane separation method, often used in biochemistry to remove salts from solutions containing larger molecules like proteins. Filtration, in general, uses porous materials to separate particles from liquids or gases, often aided by pressure.123

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