Reactive transport in membrane separation modeling: a perspective

Reactive transport modeling refers to the coupling of chemical equilibrium reactions with rate-dependent phenomena such as transport and phase change. The concept originated and is widely used in geosciences but has been infiltrating other fields. Reactive transport can contribute to model prediction and fundamental understanding of transport phenomena by illuminating the interrelations between species distribution of solutes and their displacement. Despite many potential benefits, the Chemical Environmental Engineering field has been slow at adopting the reactive transport approach. Here we focus on reactive transport modeling of membrane separation processes in aqueous solutions for environmental applications. We briefly review the progress made in the last decades for selected technologies and discuss the potential in further developing reactive transport modeling for each case. We then discuss several common misunderstandings and knowledge gaps while highlighting the challenges and opportunities of implementing the reactive transport approach in membrane transport modeling and simulation.