Factorial analysis on nanocomposite membranes for CO2, CH4 and N2

Abstract

This study aims to develop, characterize, and optimize the nanocomposite membranes comprised of the coated polyether block amide (Pebax) filled with two different types of nanoadsorbent derived from agricultural wastes on the commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support membrane. To systematically investigate the influence of several membrane preparation conditions on gas separation performance, fractional factorial design (FFD) was applied. The considered conditions include Pebax concentration (3 and 6 wt%), type of nanoadsorbents which are oil palm frond (OPF) and pineapple peel (PP), nanoadsorbents concentration (0.5 and 5 wt%) and sonication time (15 and 60 min). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique was used to identify the main and interaction effects of the considered conditions on the gas permeability (CO2, CH4 and N2) and selectivity (CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2). The findings from the screening study suggested that the most influential factors that affect the permeability and selectivity are Pebax concentration and nanoadsorbent type. The incorporation of 5 wt% nano-pineapple peel activated carbon (PPAC) into 6 wt% of Pebax matrix had resulted in a high CO2 permeability, CO2/CH4 selectivity and CO2/N2 selectivity of 1682.76 Barrer, 33.17, and 37.03, respectively, which manage to perform beyond the Robeson plot.