Zeolite membranes - The importance of support analysis

Zeolite membranes are highly attractive in energy efficient, selective separation technologies. Their high selectivity originates from selective adsorption, diffusion and even molecular sieving. High flux zeolite membranes (> 1 mol s(-1)m(-2)) with a sub-micrometer thickness are mechanically stabilized by a porous, often multilayer, support. Transport mechanisms in zeolite layer and support, however, are counteracting regarding selectivity, and a support may also act as a flux resistance. Several examples are analyzed quantifying the impact of the support on the observed performance, showing the effect of layer thickness, orientation of the asymmetric membrane and operational conditions, resulting in recommendations for the configuration of zeolite membrane modules.

Automated summary

Zeolite membranes are important in energy efficient and selective separation technologies due to their selective adsorption, diffusion, and molecular sieving. The support plays a significant role in the membrane performance, as the transport mechanisms in the zeolite layer and support can counteract each other regarding selectivity and the support may also affect the flux. The configuration of zeolite membrane modules should take into consideration factors such as layer thickness, orientation, and operational conditions.