Separation of volatile organic compounds from aqueous solutions by pervaporation using S-B-S block copolymer membranes
- Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH (United States). National Risk Management Research Lab.
Composite membranes of a block copolymer of styrene and butadiene (S-B-S) were cast on highly porous, hydrophobic thin films of PTFE and used for the separation and recovery of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from aqueous solutions by pervaporation. Trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, and toluene were the VOCs selected for testing the efficacy of these membranes. An analysis of the pervaporation data showed that the liquid film boundary layer offered the main mass transfer resistance to permeation. The separation factor for the VOCs was as high as 5000 at near-ambient temperatures but decreased substantially at higher temperatures. The water flux was practically independent of the solute concentration. But it increased more rapidly with an increase in temperature as compared to the organic flux, thereby reducing the separation factor. Also, the separation of a multicomponent mixture from the aqueous feed could be predicted well from single-component data.
- OSTI ID:
- 355500
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 33, Issue 10; Other Information: PBD: 15 May 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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