Toluene removal from gas streams by an ionic liquid membrane: Experiment and modeling

Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising alternative solvents for traditional organic compounds using selective separation. However, some environmental risks of ILs, resulting in a limitation of their applications in industry. In this work, the stability of ILs into multi-channel tubular ceramic membranes (ILM) provides a promising way to realize the use of ILs with environmental damages reducing. This novel process has been investigated for toluene removal from a toluene/air gas mixture based on 1-butyl-3-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([Bmim][NTf2]) as a liquid sorbent. In addition, the effects of operating conditions on toluene separation were studied and discussed by experiment and modeling. The absorption capacity of toluene by the ILM on proposed operating conditions was around 224.74 mg per gram of the ionic liquid. The support ceramic membrane can effectively prevent ILs leakage from causing secondary waste and ensure longtime operation. Regeneration of polluted ILM was available.

Automated summary

This study investigates the use of multi-channel tubular ceramic membranes (ILM) to stabilize ionic liquids (ILs), aiming to reduce the environmental impact of ILs and improve their efficiency in industrial applications. Experimental results show that ILM has a high absorption capacity for toluene and performs well under certain operating conditions.