Pervaporation separation of water-acetic acid mixtures through NaY zeolite-incorporated sodium alginate membranes

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science 2004-12, Vol.94 (5), p.2101-2109
• Main Authors: Kittur, A. A., Tambe, S. M., Kulkarni, S. S., Kariduraganavar, M. Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: activation energy; Applied sciences; Composites; Exact sciences and technology; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; membranes; Polymer industry, paints, wood; selectivity; separation techniques; Technology of polymers; zeolites
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.21149

The pervaporation (PV) separation and swelling behavior of water–acetic acid mixtures were investigated at 30, 40, and 50°C using pure sodium alginate and its zeolite‐incorporated membranes. The effects of zeolite loading and feed composition on the pervaporation performance of the membranes were analyzed. Both the permeation flux and selectivity increased simultaneously with increasing zeolite content in the polymer matrix. This was discussed on the basis of a significant enhancement of hydrophilicity, selective adsorption, and molecular sieving action, including a reduction of pore size of the membrane matrix. The membrane containing 30 mass % of zeolite showed the highest separation selectivity of 42.29 with a flux of 3.80 × 10−2 kg m−2 h−1 at 30°C for 5 mass % of water in the feed. From the temperature dependency of diffusion and permeation data, the Arrhenius activation parameters were estimated. The Ep and ED values ranged between 72.28 and 78.16, and 70.95 and 77.38 kJ/mol, respectively. The almost equal magnitude obtained in Ep and ED values signified that both permeation and diffusion contribute equally to the PV process. All the membranes exhibited positive ΔHs values, suggesting that the heat of sorption is dominated by Henry's mode of sorption. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2101–2109, 2004