Improvement of ethanol selectivity of silicalite membrane in pervaporation by silicone rubber coating

In order to improve the pervaporation performance of silicalite membrane, two types of silicone rubber, KE45 and KE108, were coated on the membrane surface. The initial molecular weight of KE108 is high and vulcanizing starts when it comes into contact with moisture in air, whereas the initial molecular weight of KE45 is low and vulcanizing starts when it is mixed with a catalyst. KE108 was found to be more effective than KE45 in enhancing the ethanol selectivity of silicalite membranes. A membrane coated using a 3 wt.% KE108 hexane solution showed separation factor of alpha = 125 with a total flux of 0.14 kg/m(2) h. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.