MFI Zeolite Membranes and PV Separation of Isopropanol-Water Azeotropic Mixtures

Abstract

Membrane separation process has become one of the emerging technologies that undergo a rapid growth since few decades. Pervaporation (PV) is one among the membrane separation processes which gained foremost interest in the chemical and allied industries. It is an effective and energy-efficient technology that carries out separations, which are difficult to achieve by conventional separation processes. Inorganic membranes such as zeolite membranes with uniform, molecular-sized pores, selective adsorption and molecular sieving action offer unique type of pervaporation membrane for a number of separation processes. This paper presents the role of MFI-zeolite membrane and its progress in the pervaporation process. The fundamental aspects of pervaporation over different types of membranes are reviewed and compared. The focus of this paper is on zeolite membrane synthesis, membrane characterization and pervaporation studies. The transport mechanism during pervaporation is discussed and the issues related with pervaporation are addressed. Innovation and future development of zeolite membrane in pervaporation are also presented.