Transport through membranes occurs through small openings in the membrane material. Although the sizes of these openings range widely (sometimes even within a single membrane), two extreme cases can be considered. At one extreme are membranes in which fluid moves predominantly by advection through distinct pores. Most of the contaminant rejection achieved by these porous membranes occurs at the membrane surface, although some contaminants might enter the pores and get trapped before they exit. Porous membranes typically remove particles and most colloids, and those with the smallest pores can remove large molecules as well.At the other extreme are so-called dense or nonporous membranes, in which distinct pores are not discernible even when the membranes are scrutinized at high magnification.These membranes are used to achieve efficient removal of small molecules from solution. Dense membranes are commonly modeled as a homogeneous, nonaqueous phase into which molecules dissolve on the feed side and from whichthey elute on the permeate side.