1. Membrane contactors

Interest in membrane contactors dates back to the pioneering work of Qi and Cussler in 1985 [1], and is based on the fact that, unlike all other known contactors used in industrial processes, i.e. packed columns, mixer-settlers and spray reactors [G 1750] , this device enables material transfer between two phases without dispersion of one phase into the other. What's more, when the membrane is in the form of hollow fibers, much larger exchange areas can be achieved than are possible with conventional gas/liquid (G/L) or liquid/liquid (L/L) contactors (