ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hollow fiber membrane

Okay, pretend you have a really long piece of spaghetti. Now imagine that instead of being solid like regular spaghetti, it is hollow in the middle. That is kind of like what a hollow fiber membrane is.

But instead of being made of pasta, it is made of special materials that can filter things. They are made of tiny strands that are hollow in the middle just like the spaghetti we imagined. These strands are so tiny that you need a microscope to see them.

When something is passed through the membrane, let's say water, some things can easily go through the hollow center like small molecules in the water. But bigger things, like tiny particles or bacteria, get stuck and can't go through. This is how the membrane works to clean or purify things like water or air.

So, in summary, a hollow fiber membrane is kind of like a long piece of spaghetti with a hollow center that can filter things by letting some things pass through while stopping others from going through.
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