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Title:
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Pushing membrane stability boundaries with HybSi® pervaporation membranes
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Author(s):
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
Efficiency & Infrastructure
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15-8-2011
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-W--11-034
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Article (scientific)
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Number of pages:
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10
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Published in: Journal of Membrane Science (Elsevier), , 2011, Vol.380, p.124-131.
Abstract:
To overcome the limitations of currently available commercial polymer and zeolite membranes for
pervaporation applications, a hybrid silica membrane (HybSi®) has been developed. In this paper the unprecedented stability of HybSi® membrane technology for the dehydration of organic solvents is reported. It is shown that the HybSi® membranes are suitable for demanding separations using pervaporation at temperatures up to at least 190 ?C, in aggressive aprotic solvents including N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), and down to a pH value of ~2. The high hydrothermal and chemical stability was proven in continuous measurements that lasted for periods of months to several years. The longest test, on the dehydration of n-butanol at 150 ?C, lasted for 1000 days. The high stability parallels high fluxes and selectivities that meet current industrial demands and expectations. After a period of stabilization, fluxes and selectivities become constant. The presented results show that HybSi® membranes are widely applicable in the dehydration of organic solvents by pervaporation.
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