Abstract
Pervaporation has been applied for tetrahydrofuran (THF) dehydration with novel composite membranes advanced by a thin selective layer composed of chitosan (CS) modified by copolymerization with vinyl monomers, acrylonitrile (AN) and styrene, in order to improve the chemical and mechanical stability of CS-based membranes. Composite membranes were developed by depositing a thin selective layer composed of CS copolymers onto a commercially-available porous support based on aromatic polysulfonamide (UPM-20®). The topography and morphology of the obtained materials were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Thermal properties and stability were determined by coupled evolved gas analysis (EGA-MS). Transport properties were estimated in pervaporation dehydration of THF. The effect of operating parameters for the pervaporation dehydration of THF such as feed compositions and temperatures (295, 308 and 323 K) was evaluated. It was shown that CS modification with different vinyl monomers led to a difference in physical and transport properties. The composite membrane with the thin selective layer based on CS-PAN copolymer demonstrated optimal transport properties and exhibited the highest water content in the permeate with a reasonably high permeation flux.
Highlights
IntroductionPervaporation as a method to separate liquid mixtures was commercialized only in the 1980s
Among all membrane processes, pervaporation as a method to separate liquid mixtures was commercialized only in the 1980s
The influence of CS modification by copolymerization with acrylonitrile and styrene on the polymer structure and physicochemical properties were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), EGA and the evaluation of membranes transport properties was carried out by pervaporation for dehydration of an industrially important solvent tetrahydrofuran
Summary
Pervaporation as a method to separate liquid mixtures was commercialized only in the 1980s. Pervaporation is successfully used for dehydrating organic media [3,4,5,6] and for water desalination [7,8]. The purification and dehydration of conventional solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF) is an essential task due to a high demand for this highly volatile substance in chemical processes [9,10,11,12]. THF is widely used as a reaction medium in organic synthesis, a solvent for polymers, an extracting agent for a number of natural compounds and an anti-crystallization additive to rocket and aviation fuels, and it is applied in the production of urethane elastomers and synthetic lubricating oils [11].
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