TS-1 Molecular Sieves Filled Polydimethylsiloxane Membranes for Ethanol/Water Separation via Pervaporation

TS-1 molecular sieves were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Results showed that the morphology, crystallinity, and purity of TS-1 were closely related to the Ti/Si ratio, crystallization time, crystallization temperature, and calcination time. The TS-1 particles were incorporated into polydimethylsiloxane to form mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), and these MMMs were first used to separate ethanol/water mixtures via pervaporation. The MMMs with 50 wt% TS-1 (Ti/Si ratio of 0.02) loading showed the highest separation factor of 14.1 for 5 wt% ethanol feed concentration at 50 degrees C. (C) 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers