Hollow monocrystalline silicalite‐1 hybrid membranes for efficient pervaporative desulfurization

Abstract

Hollow monocrystalline silicalite-1 (HMS) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and firstly incorporated into poly(etherblock-amide) (Pebax) to prepare hybrid membranes. The uniformly dispersed HMS in Pebax matrix interrupt the crystalline region and optimize the free volume property. The micropores on the HMS shell enhance the selectivity because of sieving effect, whereas the inner cavity benefits the rapid diffusion of penetrant and elevates the flux. When the content of HMS (200 nm) is 20 wt %, the hybrid membrane possesses a permeation flux of 20.63 kg/(m 2 h) and an enrichment factor of 6.11 (82% and 23% higher than that of Pebax membrane, respectively), which surpass the upper bound of the state-of-the-art reported polymeric membranes. Moreover, the hybrid membranes display the remarkable antiswelling and long-term operation stability. This is a step forward in fabricating the hybrid membranes with superior separation performance by incorporating porous fillers with hollow structure.

Elevated Pervaporative Desulfurization Performance of Pebax-Ag+@MOFs Hybrid Membranes by Integrating Multiple Transport Mechanisms

“…The homemade pervaporation experiment equipment was described in our previous study . The permeation flux ( J ) and the enrichment factor (β) can be obtained by eqs and : where ω F and ω P are the thiophene mass ratios in the feed and permeate solutions, respectively.…”

“…A rather broad peak ranging from 15° to 25° demonstrates the amorphous structure of the Pebax matrix . With the incorporation of Ag + @NH 2 -MIL, the intensity of the characteristic peak at 6.8° increases correspondingly, whereas the intensity of the peak between 15° and 25° first increases and then decreases, indicating the intervention of Ag + @NH 2 -MIL on the crystallinity of Pebax . The chemical structure of membranes was demonstrated by FTIR (Figure S1­(b) in the Supporting Information).…”

Pervaporation Zeolite-Based Composite Membranes for Solvent Separations

“…In an atypical application, Pan et al [ 43 ] filled hollow monocrystalline silicalite-1 into a Pebax ® 2533 polymer to produce hybrid membranes and subsequently conduct pervaporative desulfurization. These composite membranes were strategically fabricated, since the micropores on the silicalite shell enhanced selectivity due to a sieving effect, while its inner cavity promoted the fast diffusion of molecules (e.g., thiophene/n-octane) producing an enhanced flux.…”

Steric effects of alkyl dibenzothiophenes: The root cause of frustrating efficacy of heterogeneous desulfurization for real diesel

“…Thus, fuel desulfurization is a must in petroleum refinery. [1][2][3] At present, the allowable S-content is restricted to 10 ppm or lower in many countries. [4][5][6] Further, S-free oil is vital in fuel cell development toward carbon emission abatement and neutralization.…”

“…As an automobile exhaust pollutant, SO x can be abated greatly by using ultra‐low sulfur oils. Thus, fuel desulfurization is a must in petroleum refinery 1–3 . At present, the allowable S‐content is restricted to 10 ppm or lower in many countries 4–6 .…”