Abstract
Supported silica filled poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] (PTMSP) membranes were optimised in terms of silica filler loading and top layer thickness, and applied in the pervaporative separation of dilute aqueous ethanol and butanol mixtures (5 wt.%). Addition of hydrophobic silica clearly increased the permeate flux at the expense of the alcohol/water selectivity. Based on its maximal pervaporation separation index (PSI) an optimum was found for a 25 wt.% silica filled membrane with a PTMSP separating layer of 2.4 μm thickness. This membrane exhibited a flux of 9.5 kg m −2 h −1 in combination with an ethanol/water separation factor of 18.3. In the pervaporation of a butanol/water mixture, a flux of 9.5 kg m −2 h −1 and accompanying separation factor of 104 was obtained. A benchmark of this optimised supported PTMSP-silica nanohybrid membrane against two commercially available PDMS-based membranes clearly demonstrated the superior flux/selectivity combination of the prepared thin film silica filled PTMSP membranes in the removal of alcohols from dilute aqueous mixtures. Compared to the commercial membranes, a 4- and 3-fold increase in flux and a 2- and 3-fold increase in alcohol/water separation factor was observed for the optimised supported PTMSP-silica membrane in the separation of a 5 wt.% ethanol/water and butanol/water mixture, respectively.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.