Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213

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Journal of Membrane Science

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Concentration of noni juice by means of osmotic distillation

H. Valdés, J. Romero ∗ , A. Saavedra, A. Plaza, V. Bubnovich
Laboratory of Membrane Separation Processes (Labprosem), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Chile (USACH), Chile

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Osmotic distillation (OD) or osmotic evaporation (OE) is a promising membrane process generally applied
Received 7 August 2008 to concentrate solutions under isothermal conditions. In this work, this process was applied to concentrate
Received in revised form 19 December 2008 commercial noni juice (Morinda citrifolia). Several nutraceutical properties have been reported for noni-
Accepted 27 December 2008
derived products, mainly associated to the phenolic content of the fruit.
Available online 4 January 2009
The analyzed system is an osmotic distillation system where the solutions are circulated through a
hollow fiber membrane contactor operating in transient configuration with circulation rates between
Keywords:
0.1 and 1.0 L min−1 and concentrated solutions of CaCl2 were used as extraction brine. At isothermal
Osmotic distillation
Noni juice
conditions (30 ◦ C), transmembrane vapor water flux was experimentally determined from 0.090 up to
Concentration 0.413 kg h−1 m−2 . Noni juice was concentrated from 8 to 32 ◦ Brix after 60 min of treatment. The content
Mass transfer of phenolic compounds was preserved after this processing.
Modeling Simulation algorithms based on phenomenological equations of heat and mass transfer were developed
considering a resistances-in-series model to predict the performance of the process from theoretical infor-
mation. The values of transmembrane water flux obtained by simulations showed deviations between
2.35 and 16.19% with the experimental ones for the operating conditions applied in this work.
© 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The concentration of noni juice (Morinda citrifolia) by means

In order to optimize the storage conditions and transportation
costs, fruit juices are generally concentrated by vacuum evapora-
tion, which involves changes in the organoleptic properties of the
product, due to thermal effects. The traditional evaporation process
allows obtaining concentrations of about 45–71 ◦ Brix, while viscos-
ity decreases with the rising of the temperature while the process
takes place. The fouling reduces the rate of heat transfer, reason why
the surfaces of evaporation must be cleaned regularly to insure the
efficient working of the evaporator. The selection of an adequate
system must consider if these devices are apt to concentrate the
juice with low costs and high evaporation capacity [1].
Osmotic distillation (OD) is an interesting alternative for the
concentration of thermosensible solutions. This method has been
used for concentrating liquid foods, such as milk, fruit and veg-
etable juices, instant tea and coffee because it works under
normal pressure and temperature conditions, preserving the nutri-
tious characteristics of the food [2]. This isothermal concentration
method can be applied to fruit and vegetable juices whose prop-
erties may be altered by thermal treatments. Thus, a product with
nutraceutic properties is an ideal candidate to be concentrated with
this technique [3].
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +56 2 718 18 21; fax: +56 2 681 71 35.
E-mail address: juromero@usach.cl (J. Romero).
of OD is theoretically and experimentally analyzed in this study.
The high commercial value of this product could justify the imple-
mentation of a system of re-concentrating the brine used as an
extracting solution to receive the evaporated water from the juice.
The regeneration of the diluted brine represents the main technical-
economic barrier of this process for concentrating the majority of
liquid foods. These particular conditions have motivated this work
in order to analyze the performance of the OD process for the con-
centration of noni juice, identifying the main operation variables.
2. Osmotic distillation of noni juice
2.1. Principle of the osmotic distillation process
Osmotic distillation is a membrane process applied to concen-
trate solutions under isothermal conditions. In this process, an
aqueous solution can be concentrated by an osmotic gradient using
an aqueous extraction solution with low water activity (i.e. concen-
trated brine). Fig. 1 shows an outline describing the principle of the
process where a macroporous and hydrophobic membrane sepa-
rates both solutions. In this figure, three regions may be identified
in the proximities of the membrane: (1) the boundary layer of the
feeding solution to be treated; (2) the membrane pore filled with
gas; (3) the boundary layer of the extraction solution. The OD is an
evaporative process where simultaneous mass and heat transfer is
observed with its respective concentration and temperature pro-

0376-7388/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2008.12.053
206 H. Valdés et al. / Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213

be transferred, the driving force generated by the mass transfer

through the porous medium is the difference in vapor pressure
between both interfaces.
The solutions to be concentrated in the majority of the studies on
OD [4–16] contain a low concentration of non-volatile solutes from
moderate to high molecular weight (carbohydrates, polysaccha-
rides, carbolic acid salts and proteins), which have limited stability
at high temperatures and pressures. In a previous work, Romero et
al. [3] analyzed the effect of the boundary layers on the concen-
tration and temperature polarization phenomena, developing an
algorithm that solves the equations attached to the simultaneous
mass and heat transfer for flat sheet membrane modules.

2.2. Properties of noni juice

Noni is the Hawaiian name for the fruit of M. citrifolia. This plant
is native from South East Asia to Australia and it is cultivated in Poly-
nesia, India, the Caribbean and Northern South America [17,18]. The
use of M. citrifolia is steadily growing and its products are commer-
Fig. 1. Outline of the transport phenomena with the concentration and temperature cially available in health stores and the Internet. The commercial
profiles through the membrane in the osmotic distillation process.
interest in noni has tremendously grown in the last few years, this
growth reflected in the number of patents registered: in the USA
Table 1
alone there have been 19 patents registered with the US Patent and
Composition of the Tahitian Noni Juice® (89% Noni; 11% Grape and Cranberry) [23].
Trademark Office since 1976 [19]. Several publications have shown
Property European Commission 2002 that noni can be used to treat diseases [20–22]. The use of con-
Value Units centrates of this juice, in liquid and pill form has become massive
due to the medicinal properties attributed to noni, such as being
pH 3.4–3.6
Dry matter 10.0–11.0 % anti-microbial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory.
Total soluble solids 8.0 ◦
Brix These properties are attributed to the main nutrients in noni rep-
Proteins 0.2–0.5 % resented by phenolic compounds [22].
Lipids 0.1–0.2 %
About 160 phytochemical compounds have been identified in
Glucose 3.0–4.0 g/100 g
Fructose 3.0–4.0 g/100 g
the Noni plant the majority of the micro-nutrients are phenolic
Potassium 30–150 mg/100 g compounds, organic acids and alkaloids [20]. The main groups
Sodium 15–40 mg/100 g of nutrients found in noni are phenolic compounds from the
Magnesium 3.0–12.0 mg/100 g group of iridoids, cumarins, terpenes, flavonoids and quinones. The
Calcium 20–25 mg/100 g
most important reported phenolic compounds are anthraquinones
Vitamin C 3.0–25 mg/100 g
(damnacanthal, morindone, morindin, and others), aucubin, aspe-
ruloside and scopoletin. The principal organic acids are caproic,
files. The temperature profile can be explained by a temperature caprylic, while the main reported alkaloid is xeronine [23]. The fruit
polarization phenomenon, which involves a latent heat transfer contains 90% water and the main components of the dried solid
through the membrane. This latent heat transfer decreases the tem- matter are fibers and proteins. The protein content of the fruit is
perature at the evaporation interface and increases the temperature 11.3% of the dried matter from the juice and the main amino acids
at the condensation interface. are aspartic acid, glutamic acid and isoleucine [21].
The interfaces formed by the liquid phases and the retained gas This study used “Tahitian Noni Juice”TM even though its com-
in the pores are considered in thermodynamic equilibrium. Thus, position does not correspond to the pure juice; the European Food
taking into account the volatile condition of the components to Commission established its chemical composition in 2002 [24]. The

Fig. 2. Experimental setup with a Celgard Liquicel minimodule used in this work.
 H. Valdés et al. / Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213 207

Table 2
Characteristics of hollow fiber contactor modules used in this work.
Property Module 1
Type Minimodule
Liquicel® 1 × 5.5
Membrane material Polypropylene
Number of fibers 2300
Pore diameter (␮m) 0.3
Porosity (%) 40
Tortuosity 3.92
ID of the fiber (m) 2.2 × 10−4
OD of the fiber (m) 3.0 × 10−4
Length of the fiber (m) 0.12
ID of the Shell (m) 0.025
Contact surface area (m2 ) 0.18
main components of this product are shown in detail on Table 1.
Wang and Su [20] showed that commercial noni juice (Tahitian
Noni® Juice) prevents the formation of chemical carcinogen DNA-
adduct.
3. Experimental
The experimental device used in this study is constituted by a
system with two independent circuits for the circulation of the solu-
tions: one for the solution to be treated (water or noni juice) and the
other for the extraction brine. Both circuits have peristaltic pumps
connected to graded vessels where the volume variations of the
solutions are measured as a function of time. The vessels are sub-
merged in a thermostatized bath in order to maintain a constant
temperature (30 ◦ C). The circuits are connected to a hollow fiber
membrane contactor. The outline of this arrangement is presented
in Fig. 2.
Two different types of modules are used in the experiments:
a hollow fiber minimodule Celgard Liquicel© 1 × 5.5 (2300 fibers,
0.18 m2 of surface contact area, called Module 1) and a hollow fiber
minimodule Celgard Liquicel© 1.7 × 5.5 (7400 fibers, 0.58 m2 of sur-
face contact area, called Module 2).
The characteristics of these modules are presented in the Table 2.
To analyze the process and facilitate the theoretical analysis, the
phases to be treated are water and commercial noni juice (Tahitian
Noni® Juice) circulated by the shellside of the hollow fiber contactor
in order to obtain the best mass transfer conditions. 400 mL of these
solutions were treated using 1300 mL of extraction brine, which was
circulated by the lumenside. The circulation configuration was also
chosen in order to facilitate the cleaning procedure of the module
considering the characteristics of both solutions. The brine is an
aqueous solution of calcium chloride with concentrations of 2, 4
and 6 mol kg−1 .
The experiments lasted between 60 and 120 min, time at which
the change of level in each one of the vessels was registered. The
mass transfer flux is quantified in function of the change in the brine
level. At each day’s end the membrane was cleaned with an ethanol
solution 30% (v/v). CaCl2 was used as solute in the extraction solu-
tion since this produces a decrease of water activity greater than
other salts, which allows an increment of the driving force for the
mass transfer [8].
The experimental design considers 3 variables: the concentra-
tion of the extraction brine, the circulation rates of the solution to
be treated and the extraction solution. Each variable was evaluated
in two levels taking into consideration central points.
Module 2 The operation conditions for each one of the modules are
Minimodule
summed up on Table 3.
Liquicel® 1.7 × 5.5 The experimental runs of concentration of noni juice were done
Polypropylene in Module 2 of bigger dimensions than the Module 1, applying opti-
7400 mum operative conditions and where the greater evaporation flux
0.3
was observed (Ffeed = Fbrine = 1.0 L min−1 , Cbrine = 6.0 mol kg−1 ). The
40
3.92 noni juice treated in the concentration experiments was previously
2.2 × 10−4 filtered using borosilicate microfiber filters MFS GC50 of 47 mm
3.0 × 10−4 with a 99.9% efficiency to remove particles with a size of 0.3 ␮m.
0.12
In addition to the rates of evaporated volume, the concentration
0.043
0.58
of phenolic compounds was determined in function of the time
during the treatment. The phenolic content in the noni juice would
not have to be modified by this type of processing. However, it is
necessary to verify the concentration of these compounds in the
juice because they give its medicinal properties. In this way, sam-
ples (200 ␮L) of the juice were extracted every 7 min to quantify
the polyphenol content using the modified Folin–Ciocalteu method.
1 mL of Folin–Ciocalteu reactive was added to the samples in a ves-
sel, after 2 min 0.8 mL of Na2 CO3 (7.5%) was added. Then it is kept
at 30 ◦ C for 90 min. Finally, the absorbancy is measured at 765 nm
[25].
4. Modeling and simulation of the mass and heat transfer
4.1. Equations of mass transfer
The fundamentals of the osmotic evaporation process were
explained on Section 2.1 and shown in Fig. 1. A resistances-in-series
model can explain the transport of water through the membrane.
In this work has been applied this approach based on the study
developed by Romero et al. [8,26] about the OD process. In this
case, the equations have been considered to solve the model for
simultaneous heat and mass transfer in a hollow fiber contactor.
The flux regimes inside the pores with the main chances of
occurring during the osmotic evaporation process are molecular
diffusion and Knudsen diffusion. In the water–brine system mass
transfer flux (mol m−2 s−1 ) of water vapor through the membrane
porosity can be estimated by molecular diffusion applying the fol-
lowing equation:
 P   εD   
(2) w−air P − aEw Pw
E
Jw = ln (1)
RT ı F
P − Pw
where P is the total pressure, aw water activity in brine, Pw repre-
sents vapor pressure of water at the temperature of the respective
interface, R is the universal constant of gasses, Dw–air the diffusion
coefficient of water in the air; ε, , ı represent membrane porosity,
tortuosity and thickness respectively.
On the other hand, mass transfer flux (mol m−2 s−1 ) of water by
Knudsen diffusion can be estimated by the following equation:
 2   εr   8
0.5
p F
− aEw Pw
E
(2)
Jw = (Pw ) (2)
3 ı RTMw
where rp is the pore radius, T is the average temperature and Mw is
the molecular weight of water (1.8 × 10−2 kg mol−1 ). Mass transfer
flux of water through the boundary layers can be evaluated by the

Table 3
Levels and characteristics of the experimental design for modules 1 and 2.

Module 1 Module 2

Solution to be treated Cbrine (mol kg−1 ) Ffeed (L min−1 ) Fbrine (L min−1 ) Solution to be treated Cbrine (mol kg−1 ) Ffeed (L min−1 ) Fbrine (L min−1 )

Water 2.0–6.0 0.1–0.5 0.1–0.5 Water and noni juice 2.0–6.0 0.1–1.0 0.1–1.0
208 H. Valdés et al. / Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213

Fig. 3. Structure of the simulation algorithm to predict the simultaneous heat and mass transfer in the osmotic distillation process carried out in this work. Water is used as
feed solution to evaluate temperature polarization.
 H. Valdés et al. / Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213 209

following equations: When the tube length is very small or the flux velocity is high,
the Lévêque equation can be used [31]:
= k(1) (xbF − x1F )
(1)
Jw (3)
1/3
Nu(3) = 1.86(Re(3) Pr (3) (D/L)) (11)
= k(3) (x2E − xbE )
(3)
Jw (4)
Then, if the temperature profiles are developed practically at
where x1F and x2E are the molar fractions of the water coming in and
the entrance of the fibers and besides Reynolds number is much
going out the pores, respectively. Simulations of the water–brine
less than 2300, the heat transfer coefficient is determined using Eq.
system do not consider the application of Eq. (3), because the feed-
(10). The estimation of the heat transfer coefficient on the shellside
ing solution to be treated is only pure water.
filled with the solution to be concentrated has been estimated by
In this study has been applied different correlations of the Sher-
means of the following correlation of the Nusselt number [32]:
wood number to estimate the mass transfer coefficient on the
0.55 1/3
lumenside, k(3) , in hollow fiber contactors [27,28]. The best approx- Nu(1) = 0.36(Re(1) ) (Pr (1) ) (12)
imations between experimental and simulated values of water flux
were obtained with the correlation of Notter [27]: This equation has been proposed to estimate the heat transfer coef-
ficient on the shellside in shell and tube heat exchangers.
0.88 1/3
Sh(3) = 0.0149(Re(3) ) (Sc(3) ) (5)
4.3. Simulation of the simultaneous mass and heat transfer in OD
This equation is applicable when Sc > 100 and its application
involves average discrepancies between 150 and 200% when the
The simulation of the mass transfer and the simultaneous mass
values of calculated transmembrane water flux are compared to
and heat transfer in the OD process was carried out using Matlab®
the experimental ones. In this way, the following specific relation-
7.1, following the calculus procedure for the water–brine system
ship has been correlated in this work in order to estimate the mass
shown in Fig. 3.
transfer coefficient on the lumenside from the Sherwood number
On this procedure first the conditions of operation and the mem-
in function of the Graetz number:
brane characteristics must be introduced, then the Regula Falsi
Sh(3) = 0.090 Gz 1/3 (6) cycle (RF3) is initiated in function of the temperature at the feed
solution–membrane interface (T1F ), which is considered an itera-
Finally, it must be accepted that in a steady-state the mass trans-
tive parameter. Thus, the properties of the boundary layer of feed
port flow through boundary layer on the feeding solution side,
solution can be estimated.
through the membrane porosity and the brine side must be equal
(1) (2) (3)
The values of temperature and concentration at the
(Jw AOD = Jw Aav = Jw AID ). The mean value of the contact surface brine–membrane interface (T2E , x2E ) were generated by a sec-
area through the membrane, Aav , was estimated as the average value ond and third Regula Falsi cycles (RF1 and RF2), later on the
between the inside and outside diameter of the fibers. properties of the brine boundary layer and the transmembrane

4.2. Equations of heat transfer

The osmotic evaporation process involves a latent heat trans-

fer from the feed solution to the extraction brine. Latent heat of
vaporization is transferred by means of conduction and convec-
tion through the boundary layers, the pores filled with gas and the
polymeric structure of the membrane.
In a steady-state condition the heat flow must be equal through
all resistance-in-series system. In accordance with analysis carried
out by Celere and Gostoli [29], the following equations represent
the heat transferred through each layer:

Q (1) = hF (TbF − T1F )

(1)
(7)

Q (2) = Jw Hv + hm (T1F − T2E )

(2) (2)
(8)

hE (T2E − TbE )
(3) (3)
Q = (9)

where Hv is the latent heat of vaporization of water and Q

is the heat flux (W m−2 ). The steady-state condition of the heat
flow through the membrane is also considered in the calcula-
tions (Q(1) AOD = Q(2) Aav = Q(3) AID ). The heat transfer coefficient of
the membrane is calculated in function of the porosity with the
methodology described by Romero and coworkers [8] and Celere
and Gostoli [29] from the thermal conductivity of the polymer and
the gas (air) that fills the pore.
The heat transfer coefficient on the lumenside filled with the
extraction brine was calculated from the Nusselt number using Eq.
(10), which considers the effects caused by the undeveloped tem-
perature profile [30]. Reynolds number must have a value less than Fig. 4. Experimental data of transmembrane flux of water as a function of the cir-
2300. culation flow rate of solutions for the module 1 at 30 ◦ C. Water is used as feeding
solution and an aqueous solution of CaCl2 (2 mol L−1 ) as extraction brine. (a) Water
0.0668Re(3) Pr (3) (D/L) flux in function of the flow rates of both solutions; (b) Water flux in function of the
Nu(3) = 3.66 + (10) flow rate of feeding solution for different flow rates of extraction brine. Lines are
2/3
1 + 0.04(Re(3) Pr (3) (D/L)) only guides for each group of data.
210 H. Valdés et al. / Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213

Table 4 transmembrane flux of water was quantified in function of the cir-

Experimental values of the transmembrane water flux obtained for different oper-
culation rates of feeding solution (water) and CaCl2 solution. Results
ating conditions with membrane module 2. Water is used as feeding solution at
30 ◦ C. are reported in Fig. 4b, observing that the values belong to differ-
ent curves with a 92% of confidence. Thus, there is an effect of the
Cbrine Ffeed Fbrine Jw Jw A × 103
circulation rate of the brine on the transmembrane flux.
(mol kg−1 ) (L min−1 ) (L min−1 ) (kg h−1 m−2 ) (mol s(1 )
On the other hand, the influence of the circulation rate of pure
2.0 0.1 0.1 0.120 ± 0.008 1.070 ± 0.071 water, as feeding solution in these experiments, on the transmem-
2.0 0.1 1.0 0.123 ± 0.002 1.100 ± 0.014
brane flow can be explained by the effect of the heat transfer given
2.0 1.0 0.1 0.118 ± 0.007 1.055 ± 0.064
2.0 1.0 1.0 0.132 ± 0.002 1.180 ± 0.014 by the evaporation–condensation process through the membrane.
6.0 0.1 0.1 0.338 ± 0.004 3.025 ± 0.035 Simulations of simultaneous mass and heat transfer have allowed
6.0 0.1 1.0 0.358 ± 0.017 3.205 ± 0.015 evaluating temperature polarization phenomenon. These results
6.0 1.0 0.1 0.369 ± 0.011 3.300 ± 0.099
are discussed in Section 5.3.
6.0 1.0 1.0 0.390 ± 0.035 3.490 ± 0.031
4.0 0.55 0.55 0.255 ± 0.006 2.283 ± 0.051
In Module 2 the experiments were carried out with a
water–brine system, quantifying the effect of each variable by
means of an experimental design with conditions summarized in
(2) Table 4. Brine concentration, feeding flow, brine flow and interac-
flux of water vapor through the pores (Jw ) were estimated, then
(3) tion feeding flux-brine concentration were identified as significant
the flux through the brine boundary layer (Jw ) was calculated. effects with 95% of confidence, affecting the transmembrane flux of
Finally, the two flows (mol s−1 ) are compared, if they are equal water in 83.8, 6.1, 5.2 and 4.9% respectively. The extraction solution
the algorithm is stopped and if they are different the procedure was used considering concentrations of CaCl2 2, 4, and 6 mol kg−1 ,
is repeated. When a value of transmembrane flow of water is at an operational temperature of 303 K.
(2) (3)
identified (Jw Aav = Jw AID ), a similar procedure is applied to the
heat flux through each layer to identify the steady-state condition
(Q(1) AOD = Q(2) Aav = Q(3) AID ). 5.2. Influence of the operation variables in the concentration of
The simulations reduced exclusively to the mass transfer were noni juice
done considering a constant operation temperature (30 ◦ C) for all
calculations. In this case, the iterative cycles RF2 and RF3 in the algo- Concentration of noni juice by means of OD process was car-
rithm described in Fig. 3 are not carried out and the temperature at ried out using the Module 2 with brine concentrations of 2, 4 and
the proximities of the membrane is considered constant. 6 mol kg−1 , in a flux range of 0.1–1 L min−1 , at an operational tem-
perature of 303 K. Module 2 was chosen because it shows a slight
higher transmembrane water flux (kg m−2 h−1 ) in the previous
5. Results and discussion
experiments described in Section 3.
It may be concluded for the juice–brine system with a 95% accu-
5.1. Hydrodynamic considerations of the hollow fiber membrane
racy that the significant effects are the same identified for the
contactors
water–brine system: brine concentration, feeding flow, brine flow
and interaction feeding flux-brine concentration, which affect the
Previous experiments were developed using water as feeding
transmembrane water flux in 73.1, 12.9, 5.0 and 9.0%, respectively.
solution in order to characterize hydrodynamic conditions in the
Table 5 shows some examples of the effects of the mentioned
hollow fiber contactors used in this work.
variables on the water transfer through the membrane in the
In Module 1 the experiments were done using water as feed-
osmotic distillation of the noni juice. In this way, the most impor-
ing solution and aqueous solution of CaCl2 with a concentration of
tant effect on the performance of the process is represented by the
2.0 mol kg−1 as extraction solution within a range of operational
concentration of the extraction brine.
flows from 0.1 to 0.5 L min−1 . The results of this experiment are
showed in Fig. 4a, where the transmembrane flux of water (Jw ,
kg m−2 h−1 ) is represented in function of the circulation rate of 5.3. Prediction capacity of the simulation algorithm
both solutions (Ffeed and Fbrine , L min−1 ), with equal flows in the
shellside as well as inside of the fibers. Under these conditions Two simulation algorithms and its respective programs were
Reynolds number inside and outside the fibers was 3 < Re < 20, oper- developed in this study in order to describe exclusively mass trans-
ating in the laminar regime. From the variance analysis between fer and the simultaneous mass and heat transfer. These simulations
the different series of data [33], it is possible to verify that the programs must be capable to predict the value of transmembrane
transmembrane water flux is dependent on the operational circu- flux of water from the operating conditions, the structural parame-
lation rates of the solutions with 99% statistical certainty. Then, the ters of the membrane and the physical properties of the solutions.

Table 5
Effect of each operating variable on the experimental transmembrane water flow in the concentration of noni juice.

Operating conditions
−1
Ffeed = 0.1 L min
Fbrine = 0.1 L min−1
Ffeed = 1.0 L min−1
Fbrine = 1.0 L min−1
Fbrine = 1.0 L min−1
Cbrine = 2.0 mol kg−1
Fbrine = 1.0 L min−1
Cbrine = 6.0 mol kg−1
Ffeed = 1.0 L min−1
Cbrine = 2.0 mol kg−1
Ffeed = 1.0 L min−1
Cbrine = 6.0 mol kg−1
Effect Increasing interval Jw A × 103 (mol s(1 ) Increasing ratio of the flow (%)
−1
Cbrine = 2.0 mol kg 0.52
Concentration of the brine, Cbrine 380.8
Cbrine = 6.0 mol kg−1 2.48
Cbrine = 2.0 mol kg−1 0.74
Concentration of the brine, Cbrine 354.2
Cbrine = 6.0 mol kg−1 3.35
Ffeed = 0.1 L min−1 0.61
Circulation rate of the feeding solution, Ffeed 20.9
Ffeed = 1.0 L min−1 0.74
Ffeed = 0.1 L min−1 2.54
Circulation rate of the feeding solution, Ffeed 31.8
Ffeed = 1.0 L min−1 3.35
Fbrine = 0.1 L min−1 0.63
Circulation rate of the extraction brine, Fbrine 17.41
Fbrine = 1.0 L min−1 0.74
Fbrine = 0.1 L min−1 3.00
Circulation rate of the extraction brine, Fbrine 11.64
Fbrine = 1.0 L min−1 3.35
 H. Valdés et al. / Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213
Fig. 5. Simulations of mass and heat transfer with an operating temperature of 30 ◦ C
using module 1. (a) Simulations of transmembrane flow of water as a function of
the flow rates of both solutions with and without heat transfer; (b) Estimations of
temperatures at the interfaces obtained by simultaneous mass and heat transfer
simulations.
Simulations of mass transfer were carried out considering an
extraction solution of CaCl2 with a concentration of 2.0 mol L−1 ,
the transmembrane water flux estimated by this algorithm shows
discrepancies between 2.77 and 15.60% with the experimental val-
ues when molecular diffusion is supposed in the membrane pores.
These results are presented in Fig. 5a. Discrepancies between exper-
imental and calculated values increased slightly between 5.48 and
23.43% when mass transfer by Knudsen like diffusion was supposed
in the pores. This behavior is coherent with a possible transition
mechanism of mass transfer in the pores, which is verified with the
value of the Knudsen number around Kn = 0.3.
On the other hand, Fig. 5a shows results of transmembrane water
flux when the simultaneous mass and heat transfer was considered
in the calculations. For these theoretical values of flux, discrep-
ancies between 2.35 and 16.19% with the experimental ones were
observed when molecular diffusion is supposed in the membrane
porosity. The difference between the two prediction methods, with
and without heat transfer, was approximately 1%, which shows a
negligible effect of the temperature polarization on the mass trans-
fer under these operational conditions. This could be explained by
the small thickness of the membrane (40 ␮m), which enhances the
heat and mass transfer. The temperatures at the interfaces obtained
by the simulation program are represented in Fig. 5b.
The concentrations at the air–brine interface and the heat fluxes
obtained from the simulation for Module 1 are reported in Table 6
Table 6
Values of the concentration of CaCl2 at the brine–membrane interface and heat flows through the membrane obtained by simulations in function of the circulation rates of
both solutions. Concentration in the bulk of the brine, xbE = 18.17% (w/w).
F (L min−1 ) Simulation of exclusive mass transfer
Concentration of CaCl2 at the
brine–membrane interface, x2E (%w/w)
0.1 13.14
0.2 14.89
0.3 15.68
0.4 16.15
0.5 16.46
211
Fig. 6. Content of phenolic compounds in the noni juice. (a) Concentration of phe-
nolic compounds as a function of the time during the concentration of the juice at
30 ◦ C, using module 2 and an aqueous solution of CaCl2 6 mol L−1 as extraction brine;
(b) Calculation of overall mass of phenolic compounds in the juice as a function of
the time during the concentration.
when an initial concentration in the bulk of the brine of 18.17%
(w/w) (2.0 mol kg−1 ) was applied. The difference of the interface
concentrations determined with and without heat transfer is about
0.5%.
The simulation of the OD with routines developed in Matlab
7.1 that only considers mass transfer for Module 2, delivers mass
transfer fluxes of water with errors between 6.06 and 11.76% when
molecular diffusion is supposed to describe the mass transfer in the
membrane porosity.
5.4. Technical feasibility and quality of concentrated product
Fig. 6a represents the evolution of the concentration of the total
phenolic compounds in the noni juice in function of the time dur-
ing the osmotic distillation process using Module 2. The juice was
concentrated from 8 up to 32 ◦ Brix after 60 min of processing with
a circulation rate of solutions of 1.0 L min−1 , and using an extraction
brine with an initial concentration of CaCl2 of 6.0 mol kg−1 .
During the concentration process it was observed that noni juice
turns dark, its color is intensified and its viscosity is increased by
27% due to the concentration process. Viscosity of noni juice was
Simulation of simultaneous heat and mass transfer
Concentration of CaCl2 at the Heat flow, QA (W)
brine–membrane interface, x2E (%w/w)
13.08 401.6
14.84 344.2
15.64 286.9
16.12 229.5
16.43 152.0
212 H. Valdés et al. / Journal of Membrane Science 330 (2009) 205–213

quantified before and after the osmotic evaporation treatment by L length of the fibers (m)
using a Brookfield viscosimeter in order to verify newtonian rhe- M molecular weight (kg mol−1 )
ological behavior and the increase of viscosity generated by the Nu Nusselt number (–)
concentration. Noni juice at 25 ◦ C and 8 ◦ Brix presents a viscos- P pressure (Pa)
ity value of 0.905 cp, while in the concentrated juice this value Pr Prandtl number (–)
increases to 1.152 cp at 32 ◦ Brix at the same temperature; besides, Q heat flux (W m−2 )
it may be seen in Fig. 6b that the mass of phenolic compounds is r radius (m)
maintained practically constant. R gas constant (J mol−1 K−1 )
In this type of process the main technical and economic limita- Re Reynolds number (–)
tion to its feasibility is the dilution of the extraction brine, because Sc Schmidt number (–)
the reconcentration and reutilization of this solution involves Sh Sherwood number (–)
important costs. However, in the studied case these limitations T temperature (K)
could be solved by the high commercial price of the juice and the x composition in %w/w (–)
interest to offer a high quality product.
Greek letters
6. Conclusions ε porosity (–)
␦ membrane thickness (m)
In this study has been developed a general characterization of ␶ tortuosity (–)
the concentration of noni juice by means of osmotic distillation
process. The application of this membrane operation has been eval-
Subcripts and supercripts
uated with experiments and theoretically studied by simulations
(1) referred to the boundary layer of the feeding solution
of simultaneous heat and mass transfer under conditions close to a
(2) referred to the membrane porosity
real implementation using hollow fiber membranes. The influence
(3) referred to the boundary layer of the brine
of the brine concentration, feeding flow, brine flow and the com-
air referred to air
bined effects on the transmembrane flow of water were quantified
Av average
for different operation conditions in order to identify the optimum
b referred to the bulk of solutions
conditions. The most important effect on the performance of the
E referred to the extraction solution
process under these conditions is the concentration of the brine.
F referred to the feed solution
The small thickness of the membranes used in this work enhances
ID inner diameter
the mass and heat transfer and it could minimize the effect of the
OD outer diameter
temperature polarization in this process. Mass transfer through the
p pore
membrane porosity seems to be described by a transition mecha-
v vapor
nism between molecular and Knudsen diffusion.
w water
Simulations of simultaneous mass and heat transfer allow pre-
dicting the transmembrane water flux with a good agreement with
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