Theoretical analysis of the performance of composite membrane consisting of the catalytic and nanofiltration layers

A model of the composite membrane consisting of the catalytic layer (CL) and the nanofiltration layer (NFL) is presented. It has been found that applying NFL on the permeate side of CL it is possible to enhance substantially the conversion of substrate into the product. The best performance is obtained for high retention of substrate and low of product. At higher values of volume flow and/or longer catalytic path the retention degree of product becomes negligible. The presence of NFL enhances the influence of distribution of the reaction rate constant, k, on the conversion ratio. Comparing to k = constant the positive effect is obtained if k increases along the catalytic pore, whereas negative—if k decreases.