Abstract
The separation of non-aqueous mixtures is important for chemical production, and zeolite membranes have great potential for energy-efficient separation. In this study, the influence of the framework structure and composition of zeolites on the permeation and separation performance of methanol through zeolite membranes were investigated to develop a methanol permselective zeolite membrane. As a result, the FAU-type zeolite membrane prepared using a solution with a composition of 10 SiO2:1 Al2O3:17 Na2O:1000 H2O showed the highest permeation flux of 86,600 μmol m−2 s−1 and a separation factor of 6020 for a 10 wt% methanol/methyl hexanoate mixture at 353 K. The membrane showed a molecular sieving effect, reducing the single permeation flux of alcohol with molecular size for single-component alcohols. Moreover, the permeation flux of methanol and the separation factor increased with an increase in the carbon number of the alcohols and methyl esters containing 10 wt% methanol. In this study, the permeation behavior of FAU-type zeolite membranes was also discussed based on permeation data. These results suggest that the FAU-type zeolite membrane has the potential to separate organic solvent mixtures, such as solvent recycling and membrane reactors.
Highlights
The separation of organic mixtures is essential for the chemical and petrochemical industries to improve process efficiency
For developing a methanol permselective zeolite membrane, we investigated the influence of the framework structure, composition, and organic compounds on the permeation and separation performance of methanol through zeolite membranes in this study
The permeation and separation performances of methanol were determined by pervaporation with a 10 wt% methanol/methyl hexanoate mixture
Summary
The separation of organic mixtures is essential for the chemical and petrochemical industries to improve process efficiency. Organic solvent recycling, isomer separation, and the integration of reaction and separation processes have been reported [1]. Membrane separation is an energy-efficient separation technology, and inorganic membranes have superior chemical stability and mechanical strength compared to polymeric membranes. Porous membranes, such as zeolite, silica, and carbon membranes, can separate organic mixtures by molecular sieving and selective adsorption. The separation of organic mixtures using membranes by the molecular sieving effect has been reported [2,3,4]. Tsuru et al developed a methanol permselective organosilica membrane using bis(triethoxysilyl)acetylene as a precursor [2].
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