Experimental Study and Mathematical Modeling of a Nanofiltration Membrane System for the Recovery of Polyphenols from Wine Lees

The winemaking process in Spain generates a significant amount of wastes such as wine lees. Currently, the nanofiltration process is a viable technique for the revalorization of compounds from wastes. In this aspect, this technique can be used for the recovery of compounds, such as polyphenols, as well as active principles widely used in industries, such as pharmaceuticals or cosmetics. Polyphenols are found in acceptable amounts in wine lees wastes and it is interesting to study the nanofiltration process viability to recover them. In order to study this possibility, it is necessary to determine the choice of the best membrane to use and the effect of operational parameters such as pressure, temperature, cross-flow rates, and concentration. In addition, it is important to be able to develop a mathematical model that can help in the future design of lees treatment plants. The treatment of red wine lees to concentrate polyphenols has been studied in a laboratory plant using different membranes (RO and NF) at different pressures (4.5, 9.5, and 14.5 bar), different temperatures (293, 303, and 308 K), and two concentrations (2100 and 1100 mg tyrosol eq·L(−1)). The results have been encouraging to consider nanofiltration as a viable technique for the treatment and revalorization of this waste. The most suitable membrane has been the NF270, in which 96% rejection rates have been obtained, with a flux of 30 L·h(−1)·m(−2). Moreover, in this study, the Spiegler–Kedem model (SKM) was used to calculate mass transfer constants and permeabilities. Suitable adjustments of these parameters were obtained to validate this mathematical model. For this reason, the SKM might be used in future studies to continue in the research work of the treatment of wine lees wastes.