A Conceptual Demonstration of Decaffeination via Nanofiltration

Yee Kang Ong, Hui Ting Ng, Tai-Shung Chung*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of using novel nanofiltration (NF) membranes for decaffeination of coffee wherein caffeine present in the feed solution is recovered at the permeate of the membrane. The NF hollow fiber membranes were fabricated and tested with model solutions to evaluate the recovery of caffeine as functions of molecular weight/size of organic molecules, caffeine concentration, and feed temperature. The results show that the recovery of caffeine and the permeate flux decrease with an increase in molecular weight/size of the organic molecules and the caffeine concentration in the feed. On the other hand, both recovery and flux increase with increasing feed temperature. Decaffeination of coffee is subsequently demonstrated at 55 °C using a roasted coffee solution wherein a 25% reduction of caffeine is achieved with a volume reduction factor of ∼1.2.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)7737-7742
Number of pages6
JournalIndustrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
Volume54
Issue number31
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 12 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Chemical Engineering(all)
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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