Abstract
For the first time, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), because of its high stabilities and easy processability, was employed as the substrate material to fabricate the thin-film composite (TFC) hollow fiber membrane for ethanol dehydration. A surface modification of the PVDF substrate through an alkaline treatment was carried out before interfacial polymerization to conquer its hydrophobic nature. Various characterizations showed that a proper alkaline treatment can effectively enhance the surface hydrophilicity by introducing oxygen-containing functional groups. Different configurations of PVDF substrates were investigated and the most suitable morphology was found to be the dual-layer hollow fiber with more porous inner layer and relative denser outer surface. Silicone rubber coating was also applied to enhance the membrane selectivity. The highest separation performance showed a separation factor of 40 and a flux of 1288g/m2h with high long term stabilities. This study may provide important insights in exploring new substrate materials for TFC membranes.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 173-183 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Chemical Engineering Science |
| Volume | 118 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 18 2014 |
Keywords
- Ethanol dehydration
- Hydrophilic modification
- PVDF
- Pervaporation
- Thin-film composite membrane
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Chemical Engineering(all)
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering