Pervaporation of Toluene—n-Heptane Mixtures with Hybrid PVC Membranes Containing Inorganic Particles

Abstract

Abstract:The design and preparation of hybrid mixed matrix membranes based on PVC (polyvinylchloride) were studied for the separation of toluene-n-heptane mixtures by pervaporation. PVC was chosen as the starting organic matrix because it is an inexpensive polymer, possessing a very high selectivity for aromatics. This property is due to the polar macromolecular structure that can induce a specific transfer of aromatic species compared with aliphatic species. To improve the performance of the PVC glassy structure, the incorporation of several inorganic micro-and nanoparticles in the polymer matrix was performed to prepare mixed matrix membranes. The results reported were obtained using several types of clay, i.e., Maghnite, Wyoming, Kaolin and Nanocor, with the goal of improving membrane permeability due to the hybrid network. Our results show that the transport properties of the modified PVC network can be drastically modified by the type and amount of particles used.

Preparation of PVC-NiFeCo3-Hybrid membranes for the Pervaporation Separation of Toluene-Heptane mixtures

“…The properties of the Hybrid films were determined with the 50/50 toluene/n-heptane feed mixture at temperatures, 54°C [16,17]. The effect of incorporation of the NiFeCO 3 on the selectivity and the PV flux are presented in figures 4 and 5.…”