Spherical, discreet, size-monodisperse mesoporous silica particles of 1.8-2 mu m diameter, with pore diameters of similar to 1.8 nm were incorporated into a poly (vinyl alcohol) [PVA] polymer to produce composite pervaporation membranes. The selective membrane layers were cast on polyacrylonitrile [PAN]/non-woven fabric supports. The inclusion of particulate silica had beneficial effects on pervaporation performance for the dehydration of ethanol, improving flux throughout the composition range studied, as well as increasing selectivity in all but the highest silica content samples. The unique pervaporation in mesoporous membranes is discussed in terms of polarity and solubility data. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.