Abstract
Acetic acid is one of the inhibitors mainly found in biomass hydrolysates after acid hydrolysis of lignocellulose biomass. The presence of this compound can affect the final yield of bioethanol. Supported liquid membrane (SLM) is an efficient method for solute extraction from aqueous solution. However, unsuitable membrane structure and insufficient membrane strength are the typical problems experienced by the membrane support in the SLM system. In the current study, graphene nanopowder was incorporated into polyethersulfone (PES) dope polymer solution to fabricate flat sheet PES membrane support. The hydrophobicity of the PES membrane was increased from 85° to 120° when the graphene was added. The force required to break the PES/graphene membrane was 4.3N. This force was higher compared to the pristine PES membrane which was 1.9N. Both membranes however showed almost similar acetic acid removal percentages which were 86% and 83% for pristine PES and PES/graphene membrane, respectively.
Highlights
Meeting the world's demand on fuels and value-added chemicals from many sectors requires resources that are abundant and inexpensive to produce
The concentration acetic acid was detected by Synergy Hydro C18 HPLC column (Phenomenex, 150 mm × 4.6 mm, 4 μm particle size) connected to Waters Acquity UPLC system. 0.02M potassium dihydrogen phosphate was used as mobile phase and acetic acid was detected by UV detector at 221nm wavelength
3.1 Morphology of Membrane Support. Membrane morphology such as pore structure and size plays a crucial role to the performance of Supported liquid membrane (SLM) process since the liquid membrane is held within the pores of the membrane by capillary force
Summary
Meeting the world's demand on fuels and value-added chemicals from many sectors requires resources that are abundant and inexpensive to produce. It is the only sustainable source of organic carbon on earth for the production of fuels and fine chemicals with net zero carbon emission To make it reusable, lignocellulosic biomass has to undergo pretreatment and hydrolysis processes to release the sugar component for further processing to the final targeted products. One of the simple methods used to alter the properties of the membrane support is by adding an inorganic compound into the polymer dope solution.[2] The most commonly applied inorganic materials include carbon molecular sieves, zeolites, metal organic frameworks, carbon nanotubes and graphene-based. Graphene was selected as inorganic filler in order to improve the hydrophobicity and mechanical strength of the membrane support in the SLM system. The strength and hydrophobicity of the membrane was compared and the performance for acetic acid removal using the SLM system was evaluated
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