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Membranes
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Membrane Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future: IMSTEC 2025
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Membrane Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future: IMSTEC 2025

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 3267

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jingwei Hou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Interests: condense phase physics; Janus membranes; biocatalytic membrane reactors; gas separation membranes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nawshad Akther

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
Interests: nanofiltration; forward osmosis; desalination

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite submissions to a Special Issue in Membranes, featuring selected contributions from the International Membrane Science and Technology Conference (IMSTEC 2025). This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research and technological innovations presented at IMSTEC 2025, showcasing the latest advancements in membrane materials, processes, and applications.

IMSTEC is the premier international conference in membrane science, bringing together leading researchers, industry experts, and emerging talents to discuss breakthroughs in areas such as water treatment, gas separation, energy conversion, biomedical applications, and sustainable membrane technologies. This Special Issue offers an excellent opportunity to extend the impact of your work and share your findings with a broader scientific audience.

Topics of Interest Include, but are not Limited to:

  • Novel membrane materials and fabrication strategies
  • Advances in separation processes and performance optimization
  • Membranes for energy applications (e.g., hydrogen production, fuel cells)
  • Sustainable and environmentally friendly membrane technologies
  • Emerging applications in healthcare and biotechnology
  • Theoretical and computational modeling in membrane science
  • Industrial applications and scale-up challenges

Dr. Jingwei Hou
Dr. Nawshad Akther
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • membrane science & technology
  • separation processes
  • water & gas treatment
  • energy & biomedical applications
  • sustainable & advanced materials

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  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1610 KB  
Article
Integrated Membrane Filtration for the Recovery of Antioxidants from Lavender Spent Plant Material
by Yoana Stoyanova, Nevena Lazarova-Zdravkova, Swantje Pietsch-Braune, Stoyko Petrin, Anna Stefanova, Stefan Heinrich and Dimitar Peshev
Membranes 2026, 16(2), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes16020076 - 23 Feb 2026
Viewed by 892
Abstract
The present study explores the possibility of combining membrane concentration, spray drying, and low-temperature precipitation into a single process for the valorization of spent lavender biomass as a source of ingredients rich in antioxidants. Lavender spent plant material was subjected to solid–liquid extraction, [...] Read more.
The present study explores the possibility of combining membrane concentration, spray drying, and low-temperature precipitation into a single process for the valorization of spent lavender biomass as a source of ingredients rich in antioxidants. Lavender spent plant material was subjected to solid–liquid extraction, and the obtained hydroalcoholic extracts were further concentrated using a dead-end membrane filtration cell (METcell) with a polyamide–urea thin-film composite X201 membrane. The feed and the obtained retentate were subsequently spray dried using a Nano Spray Dryer B-90 (BÜCHI) under different temperature conditions (120 °C and 85 °C). Low-temperature precipitation was further applied for the retentate. An eight-fold concentration of the extracts was achieved, with membrane rejection coefficients of 100% for antioxidant activity and 98.5% for dry solids content. The permeate flux ranged from 2.25 to 0.201 L·m−2·h−1. Spray drying at a lower inlet temperature resulted in minimal losses for antioxidant activity (below 6%). The low-temperature storage of the membrane concentrate led to clear phase separation, allowing for the recovery of a precipitated fraction. The obtained results demonstrate that the integrated approach may support the sustainable and scalable valorization of lavender by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future: IMSTEC 2025)
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16 pages, 2948 KB  
Article
Visualizing the Effect of Process Pause on Virus Entrapment During Constant Flux Virus Filtration
by Wenbo Xu, Xianghong Qian, Hironobu Shirataki, Daniel Straus and Sumith Ranil Wickramasinghe
Membranes 2026, 16(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes16010006 - 26 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1276
Abstract
Virus filtration is an essential unit operation used to validate clearance of adventitious virus during the manufacture of biopharmaceutical products such as monoclonal antibodies. Obtaining at least a 10,000-fold reduction in virus particles in the permeate is challenging as monoclonal antibodies are about [...] Read more.
Virus filtration is an essential unit operation used to validate clearance of adventitious virus during the manufacture of biopharmaceutical products such as monoclonal antibodies. Obtaining at least a 10,000-fold reduction in virus particles in the permeate is challenging as monoclonal antibodies are about half the size of the virus particles. Minute virus of mice, FDA-recommended model adventitious virus, was labeled with a fluorescent dye. Laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to determine the location of virus entrapment within the virus filtration membrane. Three different hollow fiber membranes made of regenerated cellulose and polyvinylidene fluoride were tested. Feed streams consisted of MVM spiked in buffer and MVM spiked in 5 g L−1 bovine serum albumin known to contain aggregates similar in size to the MVM. After filtering the feed, a buffer flush was used, with and without 30 min pause before the buffer flush. For all virus filters, a 30 min process pause led to broadening and movement of the virus entrapment zone deeper into the membrane. The presence of aggregates led to greater broadening of the entrapment zone. Both effects could lead to reduced virus clearance. Visualization of virus entrapment helps improve understanding of the behavior of virus filtration membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future: IMSTEC 2025)
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