TEACHING THE ENGINEERING ASPECTS OF MEMBRANE PROCESS TECHNOLOGY

The effective teaching of membrane process engineering is an important issue that should be addressed by the academic community. Educational initiatives are crucial to the continued technical growth and wide-scale commercialization of membrane processes. Subject matter that is process-oriented can be incorporated at various levels in the chemical engineering curriculum. Lower level courses could mention membrane processes when chemical separations are discussed. Upper level undergraduate courses might focus more on applications and systems engineering. Laboratory experiments provide the greatest opportunity to acquaint students with membrane principles, design and applications without significant curriculum modification. There are many approaches to membrane technology instruction at the graduate level. Courses in advanced separation processes or those that just address membranes can be structured to include system design and applications. Course development should also acknowledge the need to transfer lessons learned to real world situations.