Monolith filter apparatus and membrane apparatus, and method using same

1. A method for separating a liquid feedstock in a membrane apparatus into a permeate and gas-containing retentate which method comprises:

(a) providing a membrane device for receiving a liquid feedstock and a gas and for separating the feedstock into a permeate and a gas-containing retenetate, the membrane device comprising:

at least one monolith of porous material, the monolith containing a plurality of feedstock passageways extending longitudinally from a feed end face to a retentate end face of the monolith and defining passageway hydraulic diameters, through which the liquid feedstock and gas flow to pass the gas-containing retentate from the device;

the porous material of the monolith having a porosity of at least 30% and a mean pore size of at least 3 microns;

a permselective membrane of a pore size smaller than that of the porous material, the permselective applied to the feedstock passageway wall surfaces of the monolith, the permselective membrane selected from the group consisting of membranes suitable for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis or pervaporation;

at least one permeate conduit within the device, the permeate conduit isolated from the feed and retentate end faces, for carrying permeate toward a permeate collection zone external to the device, the permeate conduit providing a path of lower flow resistance than that of alternative flow paths through the porous material;

at least one inlet to the device for introduction of the feedstock and the gas to the feed end face of the device;

at least one outlet from the device for withdrawal of the gas-containing retentate from the retentate end face of the device; and

at least one seal to separate the feedstock and the gas-containing retentate from the permeate collection zone;

(b) introducing a liquid feedstock and a gas into the feed end face of the device, the gas comprising relatively coarse bubbles, at least some of which are larger than the monolith passageway hydraulic diameters;

(c) using the feed end face of the device to break up the larger bubbles into smaller bubbles that enter the feedstock passageways along with the liquid feedstock in a gas-liquid flow constrained within the feedstock passageways for separation into filtrate and gas-containing retentate;

(d) flowing at least a portion of the permeate through the permeate conduit toward the external permeate collection zone;

(e) collecting the permeate in the permeate collection zone and removing the permeate from the device; and

(f) removing the gas-containing retentate from the retentate end face of the device.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the surface area of the monolith passageway wall surfaces is at least 150 square meters per cubic meter of the monolith.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the porous material of the monolith device is a ceramic.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the ceramic is selected from the group consisting of cordierite, alumina, mullite, silica, zirconia, titania, spinel, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the membrane device is comprised of a single monolith.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the membrane device is comprised of a monolith assembly.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising a housing in which the membrane device is contained for permeate collection, and the permeate collection zone is the annular space between the membrane device and the housing.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the monolith is sealed along its exterior surface and the permeate is withdrawn from at least one end face of the membrane device.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the membrane device is oriented vertically and the inlet is at the bottom of the apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the membrane device is oriented vertically and the inlet is at the top of the apparatus.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the membrane is a microfiltration membrane with a pore size from about 0.1 to about 1 micron.

12. The method of claim 1 in which the membrane is an ultrafiltration membrane with a pore size from about 2 nm to about 0.1 micron.

13. A method of separating a liquid feedstock into a permeate and a gas-containing retentate, the method comprising:

a. mixing the liquid feedstock and a gas to form a gas/liquid feedstock mixture;

b. directing the gas/liquid feedstock mixture into a plurality of channels extending longitudinally through a porous monolith;

c. moving the gas/liquid feedstock mixture through the plurality of channels of the porous monolith;

d. as the gas/liquid feedstock mixture moves through the channels of the porous monolith, driving at least a portion of the liquid feedstock through a permselective membrane applied to the walls of the channels to produce a permeate, leaving in the channels gas-containing retentate; and

e. removing the gas-containing retentate from the channels of the porous monolith by directing the gas-containing retentate from the porous monolith;

f. wherein the gas includes coarse bubbles, at least some of which are larger than the cross sectional areas of the channels, and the method includes impacting the bubbles against a feed end face of the monolith and breaking the bubbles into smaller bubbles that are then directed into the channels.

14. The method of claim 13 including backpulsing to clean the permselective membrane.

15. The method of claim 13 including permeate backpulsing at a negative transmembrane pressure from time-to-time for a selected time period.

16. The method of claim 15 including permeate backpulsing at a negative transmembrane pressure of approximately 1.7 bar for a duration of approximately 2 seconds approximately every 5 to 15 minutes.

17. The method of claim 13 including directing the gas/liquid feedstock mixture through a plurality of channels that are non-circular in cross section.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the channels are generally rectangular in cross section.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the porous material of the monolith is a ceramic.

20. The method of claim 13 including intermittently flowing a fluid from a permeate side of the membrane to a feed side of the membrane in order to remove feed materials from the permselective membrane.

21. The method of claim 13 including intermittently flowing the permeate from a permeate side of the membrane to a feed side of the membrane in order to remove feed materials from the permselective membrane.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the channels are generally square in cross section.