Application of PVA-b-NaY zeolite mixture membranes in pervaporation method

Abstract

Pervaporation, an economical, energy-saving and eco-friendly membrane process for separating liquid mixtures, has been considered as a promising candidate for the separation of azeotropic mixtures that are difficult to separate using classical processes. In this study, isopropyl alcohol/water azeotropic mixtures were separated by the pervaporation method using poly(vinyl alcohol)-blended-NaY zeolite (PVA-b-NaY) membranes. For this purpose, different yields of PVA/NaY mixtures were prepared and characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), water contact angle and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effect of different parameters, such as PVA/NaY yield, membrane thickness, feed solution concentration and temperature, on the pervaporation performance was examined, and the optimum conditions were determined. The best separation factor was determined to be 2690.4 at a flux of 0.00512 kg/m(2).h and an IPA concentration of 87.7%. Based on the research findings, it can be said that PVA-b-NaY membranes are very effective in separating IPA and water using the pervaporation method. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.