Development of Chitosan/Rice Husk-Based Silica Composite Membranes for Biodiesel Purification.

Inorganic-organic composite membranes (IOCMs) are an alternative separation method developed for their straightforward process, economic benefits, and ease of scaling up. The IOCMs in this study were prepared from a biopolymer chitosan matrix and rice husk-based silica filler to remove impurities from crude biodiesel. The IOCMs were prepared through phase inversions, in which the priorly prepared silica particles were dispersed in the dope solution of chitosan.