Abstract
Polycrystalline silicalite membranes were prepared on two kinds of porous supports by hydrothermal synthesis. The pervaporation performance of the silicalite membrane obtained was investigated using an acetic acid-water mixture as a feed. The silicalite membrane on the sintered stainless steel support selectively permeates acetic acid in the concentration of the feed acetic acid in the region of 5 to 40 vol%. However, the membrane on the porous alumina support showed no separation for the aqueous acetic acid solution. From the fact that the top layer of the membrane on the alumina support was not composed of pure silicalite but ZSM-5 zeolite crystals, which contained Brønsted acidic sites (Si(OH)Al) in the framework, it was suggested that the acidic sites associated with the framework aluminums play an important role in the separation of the acetic acid-water mixture. A long-term test of the pervaporation was also carried out to clarify the stability of the membrane.
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