DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PERVAPORATION MEMBRANES FOR DEHYDRATION OF ALCOHOLS

Abstract

Biofuels (e.g. bioethanol, biodiesel, etc.), are considered to be a group of sustainable energy carriers which may substitute fossil fuels and hence mitigate the atmospheric pollution and global warming. The purification of biofuels is one of the major obstacles to their commercialization. Among many potential separation techniques, membrane-based pervaporation provides the most effective and eco-friendly approach. However, the development of pervaporation is limited by membrane materials; the exploration of novel feasible materials is of great significance. This research work aimed at design of both polymeric and inorganic membranes for pervaporative dehydration of biofuels. Three kinds of membranes have been thoroughly investigated with respect to their fundamental mass transport properties: Sulfonated polyphenylsulfone (sPPSU) membrane, graphene oxide (GO) inorganic film, triazine framework-based microporous (TFM) membrane. Additionally, the sPPSU polymers have also been engineered into dual-layer hollow fiber membranes for tentative evaluation of their scale-up capacity.