Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.101, No.26, 5186-5190, 1997
Sorption and Pervaporation of Aroma Compounds Using Zeolite-Filled PDMS Membranes
In view of the pervaporation of aroma compounds from water with PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) membranes, it was investigated how incorporated zeolites influenced the membrane performance on the level of sorption as well as diffusion. The feasibility of the separation process was coupled to a more fundamental study of the importance of functional groups and molecular chain length of the compounds in the feed mixture. The influence of temperature on sorption and pervaporation is included as well as a comparison with commercial membranes. Sorption of aromas in PDMS could be brought in relation to the Hildebrandt parameters. This sorption decreased when adding zeolites to the polymer due to the cross-linking action of the zeolite. Apart from the expected increase in fluxes, increased temperatures induced higher selectivities as well. For the selective removal of ethanol from the aroma mixture, silicalite-filled PDMS membranes were found to be the best.
Keywords:VOLATILE ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS;SILICONE-RUBBER;ORGANOPHILIC MEMBRANES;RECOVERY;SEPARATION;PERMEATION;EXTRACTION;MIXTURES