Selective separation of n‐butanol from aqueous solutions by pervaporation using silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membranes

BACKGROUND: To use butanol as a liquid fuel and feedstock, it is necessary to establish processes for refining low‐concentration butanol solutions. Pervaporation (PV) employing hydrophobic silicalite membranes for selective recovery of butanol is a promising approach. In this study, the adsorption behavior of components present in clostridia fermentation broths on membrane material (silicalite powder) was investigated. The potential of PV using silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membranes for the selective separation of butanol from model acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) solutions was investigated. RESULTS: The equilibrium adsorbed amounts of ABE per gram of silicalite from aqueous solutions of binary mixtures at 30 °C increased as follows: ethanol (95 mg) < acetone (100 mg) < n‐butanol (120 mg). The amount of butanol adsorbed is decreased by the adsorption of acetone and butyric acid. In the separation of ternary butanol/water/acetone mixtures, the enrichment factor for acetone decreased, compared with that in binary acetone/water mixtures. In the separation of a model acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation broth containing butyric acid by PV using a silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membrane, the permeate butanol concentration was comparable with that obtained in the separation of a model ABE broth without butyric acid. The total flux decreased with decreasing feed solution pH. CONCLUSION: A silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membrane exhibited highly selective PV performance in the separation of a model ABE solution. It is very important to demonstrate the effectiveness of PV in the separation of actual clostridia fermentation broths, and to identify the factors affecting PV performance. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Separation properties of alcohol–water mixture through silicalite-I-filled silicone rubber membranes by pervaporation

The structure and the adsorption–desorption properties of zeolite silicalite-I by different treatments after synthesis were studied. The pervaporation properties of the alcohol–water mixture through silicone rubber filled with zeolite silicalite-I by different treatments were also investigated. Treating silicalite-I by acid or/and under steam was found to eliminate the metallic impurities in the zeolite and to perfect the crystalline structure of the zeolite. After treatment, silicalite-I is more selective to alcohol and the desorption of the alcohol from the zeolite is also easier. The silicone rubber membrane filled with treated silicalite-I shows a high performance for alcohol extraction from the dilute aqueous solution by pervaporation. The separation factor of the poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) membrane filled with silicalite-I treated successively by acid and steam is about 30 when the ethanol content in the feed is 5 wt % at 50°C. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67: 629–636, 1998     

Separation of p‐xylene from ternary xylene mixture using silicalite‐1 membrane: process optimization studies

BACKGROUND: The design of experiments (DoE) is applied to the process optimization of p‐xylene (pX) separation from its isomers m‐xylene (mX) and o‐xylene (oX) mixture using silicalite‐1 membrane supported on α‐alumina. A central composite design (CCD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was used to correlate the effect of two separation process variables, temperature (150–250 °C) and pX feed partial pressure (0.10–0.26 kPa) to three responses: (i) pX flux; (ii) pX/oX separation factor; and (iii) pX/mX separation factor. The significant factors affecting each response were elucidated from the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The interaction between two variables was investigated systematically based on three‐dimensional response surface plots. RESULTS: The optimization criteria were used to maximize the value of pX flux, pX/mX separation factor and pX/oX separation factor. The optimum pX flux of 5.94 × 10^?6 mol m^?2 s^?1, pX/oX separation factor of 19 and pX/mX separation factor of 20 were obtained at a temperature of 198 °C and pX feed partial pressure of 0.22 kPa. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental results were in good agreement with the simulated values obtained from the proposed models, with an average error of ± 2.90%. In comparison with the conventional approach, DoE provides better flexibility of the process studies and a useful guideline for the membrane process operation for pX separation. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

无机盐对聚二甲基硅氧烷/陶瓷复合膜渗透汽化性能的影响

将渗透汽化应用于醇/水体系的分离,具有诸多显著的优势。然而,目前的研究大都基于二元体系,而实际的应用体系是多元的,还包含少量无机盐和糖类等,它们的存在对膜的性能具有一定的影响。本文研究了NaCl、KCl和MgCl2 3种无机盐的加入对聚二甲基硅氧烷 （PDMS）/陶瓷复合膜渗透汽化性能的影响。结果表明,在313 K,无机盐的加入使复合膜的分离因子和通量均有所提高。其中二价盐MgCl2对渗透汽化性能的影响最为显著,分离因子最大提高到醇/水体系的2.8倍。而一价盐NaCl和KCl的加入,使分离因子分别提高为醇/水体系的2.5倍和2.4倍。同时借助于Setschenow扩展方程计算了乙醇活度,对实验结果进行了初步的解释。     

Compatibility of PTET‐60/CA blends and separation performance of their membranes for benzene/cyclohexane mixture by pervaporation

Aromatic copolyester of poly(trimethylene‐co‐ethylene terephthalate) (PTET) with different composition was synthesized and the PTET sample with 60% weight fraction of polytrimethylene (PTET‐60) was amorphous. The compatibility of PTET‐60/cellose acetate (CA) blends and the pervaporation of their membranes for separation of benzene/cyclohexane mixtures were investigated. It was found that PTET‐60 is compatible with CA when the weight fraction of PTET‐60 in PTET‐60/CA blends (W_PTET‐60) is lower than 0.35 and more than 0.5. Both the degree of swelling (DS) and the permeation flux (J) of these blend membranes increased with increasing W_PTET‐60 from 0 to 0.35, and a maximum value of the separation factor (α) displayed at W_PTET‐60 = 0.25. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl PolymSci 102: 2832–2838, 2006     

Silane‐modified NaA zeolite/PAAS hybrid pervaporation membranes for the dehydration of ethanol

To improve the pervaporation selectivity of poly(acrylic acid) sodium (PAAS) membranes incorporated with NaA zeolite, the interface compatibility between zeolite nanocrystals and the polymer matrix was improved by modifying NaA zeolite using 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). Both X‐ray photoelectron spectra and FTIR confirmed the chemical modification, while the results of zeolite particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy revealed the improved dispersion of the modified zeolite. Transmission electron microscopy images of these hybrid membranes indicated that the interface between the polymer and modified zeolite phases had improved. The effects of loaded NaA zeolite on the pervaporation performance of hybrid membranes were investigated. The selectivity of hybrid membranes made from APTES‐modified zeolite was higher than that using the original zeolite under the same conditions, because fewer voids resulted from the incompatibility between the zeolite and PAAS and the structure was more homogenous. Based on the Arrhenius plots, the activation energies of water and the ethanol ratio were lower for modified zeolite hybrid membranes, because water molecules experienced less restrictive passage through the membranes compared with the original zeolite‐based hybrid membrane. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

模拟的发酵液组分对聚二甲基硅氧烷/陶瓷复合膜渗透汽化性能的影响

对所制备的聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）/陶瓷复合膜进行了渗透汽化性能表征。通过在乙醇-水混合体系中添加不同的模拟发酵液组分;如葡萄糖（多羟基醛）、甘油（多元醇）、丁二酸（有机酸）、KCl（无机盐）;考察了各组分对复合膜渗透汽化性能的影响。研究发现：在333 K下;在乙醇浓度为65 g·L-1的混合物中添加不同浓度的第三组分;有机添加物对膜的渗透汽化性能没有明显影响;而无机盐的加入使膜的分离因子稍有提高。所制备的PDMS/陶瓷复合膜;在上述渗透汽化过程中表现出良好的稳定性和对乙醇的优先选择性;渗透通量和分离因子（醇/水）分别在4.5～4.7 kg·m^-2·h^-1、8.3～10.3之间。     

Separation of phenol–water mixture by membrane pervaporation using polyimide membranes

Separation of components of aqueous waste streams containing organic pollutants is not only industrially very important but also is a challenging process. In this study, separation of a phenol–water mixture was carried out by using a membrane pervaporation technique with indigenously developed polyimide membranes. The membranes were found to permeate water selectively. The total flux as well as that of the individual components were measured. The effect of lithium chloride modification of polyimide film on total flux was investigated. The total flux obtained with 2% lithium chloride modification was about 3.6 times higher than that obtained with virgin membrane. The effects of different parameters such as feed composition and temperature on flux, and separation factor were determined. With modified membrane, a separation factor as high as 18.0 was obtained for water at 27°C and with 8.0 wt % phenol solution. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 822–829, 2002     

Ethanol perm‐selective B‐ZSM‐5 zeolite membranes from dilute solutions

Boron‐substituted MFI (B‐ZSM‐5) zeolite membranes with high pervaporation (PV) performance were prepared onto seeded inexpensive macroporous α‐Al₂O₃ supports from dilute solution and explored for the separation of ethanol/water mixtures by PV. The effects of several parameters on microstructures and PV performance of the B‐ZSM‐5 membranes were examined systematically, including the seed size, synthesis temperature, crystallization time, B/Si ratio, H₂O/SiO₂ ratio and silica source. A continuous and compact B‐ZSM‐5 membrane was fabricated from solution containing 1 tetraethyl orthosilicate/0.2 tetrapropylammonium hydroxide/0.06 boric acid/600 H₂O at 448 K for 24 h, showing a separation factor of 55 and a flux of 2.6 kg/m² h along with high reproducibility for a 5 wt % ethanol/water mixture at 333 K. It was demonstrated that the incorporation of boron into mobile five (MFI) structure could increase the hydrophobicity of B‐ZSM‐5 membrane evidenced by the improved contact angle and amount of the adsorbed ethanol, and thus enhance the PV property for ethanol/water mixtures. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2447–2458, 2016     

Dehydration of ethanol/water mixtures by pervaporation using soluble polyimide membranes

A series of soluble polyimides derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐benzhydrol tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BHTDA) with various diamines such as 1,4‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)‐2‐tert‐butylbenzene (BATB), 1,4‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)‐2,5‐di‐tert‐butylbenzene (BADTB), and 2,2′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐ bis(4‐aminophenoxy)biphenyl (DBAPB) were investigated for pervaporation separation of ethanol/water mixtures. Diamine structure effect on the pervaporation of 90 wt% aqueous ethanol solution through the BHTDA‐based polyimide membranes was studied. The separation factor ranked in the following order: BHTDA–DBAPB > BHTDA–BATB > BHTDA–BADTB. The increase in molecular volume for the substituted group in the polymer backbone increased the permeation rate. As the feed ethanol concentration increased, the permeation rate increased, while the water concentration in the permeate decreased for all polyimide membranes. The optimum pervaporation performance was obtained by the BHTDA–DBAPB membrane with a 90 wt% aqueous ethanol solution, giving a separation factor of 141, permeation rate of 255 g m^?2 h^?1 and 36 000 pervaporation separation index (PSI) value. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Stabilized production of highly concentrated bioethanol from fermentation broths by Zymomonas mobilis by pervaporation using silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membranes

Since pervaporation performance of ethanol‐permselective silicalite membrane, which is an aluminum‐free hydrophobic zeolite, in the separation of fermentation broths by yeast are negatively affected by succinic acid, the potential of pervaporation using silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membranes of ethanol fermentation broths, not containing succinic acid, by Zymomonas mobilis was investigated for the reliable production of concentrated bioethanol. In the separation of fermentation broths, the pervaporation performance was influenced by nutrients used for the preparation of fermentation broths. In the separation of a broth prepared with yeast extract, pervaporation performance was greatly compromised by accumulation of a substance(s) having an ultraviolet absorption maximum at approximately 260 nm not only in total flux, but also in permeate ethanol concentration compared to the separation of binary ethanol/water mixtures. When supplying a prepared broth with corn steep liquor without the accumulation of a substance(s) having an ultraviolet absorption maximum at approximately 260 nm, the permeate ethanol concentration did not decrease. Treating the prepared broth with activated carbon was effective in restraining the decrease in total flux. Pervaporation performance is also deteriorated by the adsorption of lactic acid contained in corn steep liquor onto the silicalite crystals. In the separation of ternary mixtures of ethanol/water/lactic acid, accomplished by adjusting the ternary mixtures to pH > 5, more than 90% of the permeation flux in the separation of binary ethanol/water mixtures was obtained, and the permeate ethanol concentration was comparable to that obtained in the separation of binary mixtures. For stably performing pervaporation, it is important to prepare ethanol fermentation broths by Zymomonas mobilis in which lactic acid concentration is as low as possible. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

在玻璃上合成有取向的silicalite-1分子筛膜及其生长机理

引言 分子筛膜具有规则的微孔结构、良好的化学和热稳定性,在气体分离、催化膜反应器、化学传感器以及分子筛改性电极等方面有广泛的应用前景[1-2],是催化和分离新材料领域的研究热点之一.     

Selective separation of water from aqueous alcohol mixtures through functionalized syndiotactic poly(styrene‐co‐4‐methylstyrene) membranes by pervaporation

The pervaporation performances of a series of functionalized syndiotactic poly(styrene‐co‐4‐methylstyrene) (SPSM) membranes for various alcohol mixtures were investigated. The syndiotactic polystyrene copolymers, poly(styrene‐co‐4‐methylstyrene) (SPSM), were prepared by styrene with 4‐methylstyrene using a Cp*Ti(OCH₃)₃/methyl aluminoxane (metallocene/MAO) catalyst. The effect of functionalization on the thermal properties and polymer structure of the SPSM membranes were also investigated. The crystallinity of the functionalized SPSM membrane is lower than that of the unfunctionalized SPSM membranes. The water molecules preferentially permeate through the SPSM membranes. Compared with unfunctionalized SPSM membranes, the functionalized SPSM membrane effectively increases the membrane formation performances and the pervaporation performances. The optimun pervaporation performance (a separation factor of 510 and permeation rate of 220 g/m²h) was obtained by the bromination of SPSM (SPSMBr) membrane with a 90 wt % aqueous ethanol solution. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2247–2254, 2002     

含氟体系中MFI型分子筛膜的制备及其乙醇/水分离性能

以氟化铵为矿化剂、四丙基溴化铵为模板剂,在负载晶种的钇稳定氧化锆(YSZ)中空纤维支撑体表面合成了MFI型分子筛膜,并用于乙醇/水的分离;系统考察了氟硅比(n_NH4F/n_SiO2)、合成时间等条件对膜分离性能的影响,在n_NH4F/n_SiO2为0.8、合成时间为8 h下合成出高性能膜,其通量达8.2 kg·m^-2·h^-1、乙醇/水分离因子为47;同时研究了MFI型分子筛膜在乙醇/水体系中的分离稳定性,揭示出该方法所合成膜表面无Si-OH,从而避免了Si-OH与乙醇反应而带来膜分离性能的下降.     

水性聚氨酯膜渗透蒸发分离苯/环己烷的条件及过程

以聚己二酸1,4-丁二醇酯二醇（PBA-2000）和甲苯二异氰酸酯（TDI）为主要原料合成水性聚氨酯膜,并对苯/环己烷混合液渗透蒸发性能进行测试,讨论了苯/环己烷混合体系的渗透蒸发分离过程特点。结果表明,当膜厚度增大时,分离因子提高而渗透通量随之下降,这个变化趋势在膜较薄时很明显,达到一定厚度后则变化比较平缓;膜下游侧真空度提高会同时提高膜的分离因子和通量;增大料液中苯的浓度,提高料液温度会提高通量并降低分离因子。液体被分离组分在渗透蒸发膜中经历了吸附溶胀-膜内汽化-气体扩散的质量传递过程,“干区”对分离的影响作用更加显著。     

Three‐component mixed matrix organic/inorganic hybrid membranes for pervaporation separation of ethanol–water mixture

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were made by incorporating vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS)‐modified Silicalite‐1 zeolite nanoparticles (V‐Silicalite‐1 NPs) into fluorinated polybenzoxazine (F‐PBZ) modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer through in situ polymerization method. The membrane morphology, surface wettability, and pervaporation performance were systematically investigated. The addition of F‐PBZ into PDMS membranes resulted in substantially improved flux and marginal increase of separation factor, which is the result of higher free volume and higher hydrophobicity caused by the addition of F‐PBZ. The modification of Silicalite‐1 NPs improved the interfacial contact between zeolite crystals and polymer phase. The incorporation of hydrophobic V‐Silicalite‐1 zeolite NPs into the PDMS membranes led to much higher separation factor but reduced flux, which is the result of increased hydrophobicity and reduced free volume. The three‐component MMMs with V‐Silicalite‐1 zeolite NPs in the F‐PBZ fluorinated PDMS exhibited separation factor of 28.7 and flux of 0.207 kg m^?2 h^?1 for 5 wt % ethanol aqueous solution at 50 °C, while the pure PDMS membranes only had separation factor of 4.8 and flux of 0.088 kg m^?2 h^?1. The substantial increase of both flux and separation factor were attributed to the higher hydrophobicity and free volume caused by the incorporation of both hydrophobic zeolite crystals and F‐PBZ polymer into the PDMS membranes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44753.     

Processing of ethanol fermentation broths by Candida krusei to separate bioethanol by pervaporation using silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membranes

BACKGROUND: Pervaporation employing ethanol‐permselective silicalite membranes as an alternative to distillation is a promising approach for refining low‐concentration bioethanol solutions. However, to make the separation process practicable, it is extremely important to avoid the problems caused by the adsorption of succinate on the membrane during the separation process. In this work, the pervaporation of an ethanol fermentation broth without succinate was investigated, as well as the influence of several fermentation broth nutrient components. RESULTS: Candida krusei IA‐1 produces an extremely low level of succinate. The decrease in permeate ethanol concentration through a silicone rubber‐coated silicalite membrane during the separation of low‐succinate C. krusei IA‐1 fermentation broth was significantly improved when compared with that obtained using Saccharomyces cerevisiae broth. By treating the fermentation broth with activated carbon, bioethanol was concentrated as efficiently as with binary mixtures of ethanol/water. The total flux was improved upto 56% of that obtained from the separation of binary mixtures, compared with 43% before the addition of activated carbon. Nutrients such as peptone, yeast extract and corn steep liquor had a negative effect on pervaporation, but this response was distinct from that caused by succinate. CONCLUSION: For consistent separation of bioethanol from C. krusei IA‐1 fermentation broth by pervaporation, it is useful to treat the low nutrient broth with activated carbon. To further improve pervaporation performance, it will be necessary to suppress the accumulation of glycerol. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Formation of defect‐free polyetherimide/PIM‐1 hollow fiber membranes for gas separation

Dual‐layer hollow fiber membranes were produced from blends of Ultem and polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM‐1) with enhanced gas permeance. The effects of spinning parameters (take‐up speed and air gap distance) on gas separation performance were investigated based on the pristine Ultem. Selected spinning conditions were further adopted for the blend system, achieving defect‐free and almost defect‐free hollow fibers. Adding PIM results in a higher fractional free volume, 50% increments in gas permeance were observed for Ultem/PIM‐1 (95/5) and more than 100% increments for Ultem/PIM‐1 (85/15). Both O₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivities remained the same for Ultem/PIM‐1 (95/5) and above 80% of their respective intrinsic values for Ultem/PIM‐1 (85/15). The selective layer thickness ranges from 70 to 120 nm, indicating the successful formation of ultrathin dense layers. Moreover, minimum amounts of the expensive material were consumed, that is, 0.88, 1.7, and 2.3 wt % PIM‐1 for Ultem/PIM‐1 (95/5), (90/10), and (85/15), respectively. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3848–3858, 2014