Sorption and pervaporation separation of ethyl tert—butyl ether and ethanol mixtures through a blended membrane

A new kind of membrane was prepared by blending poly( acrylic acid ) with cellulose acetate propionate for the separation of ethyl tert-butyl ether and ethanol mixtures. The properties of the membranes were evaluated by the pervaporation separation of mixtures of ethyl tert-butyl ether/ethanol and the sorption experiments. The experimental results showed that the selectivity and the fluxes of this membrane depend on the blend composition and on that of processed feed mixtures. With respect to temperature, the ethanol fluxes obey the Arrhenius equation. The fluxes increase with the increase of the poly(acrylic acid) content in the blended membrane, the ethanol concentration in the feed, and the experimental temperature. But the selectivity decreases as the poly( acrylic acid) content and the experimental temperature are raised up. When the feed composition is varied, this membrane shows the special characteristics at the azeotropic composition. In the vicinity of the azeotropic point, the minimum values of ethanol concentration in the permeate and in sorption solution are obtained. The swelling ratios increase with an increase in the temperature and the ethanol concentration. The ethanol concentration in the sorption solution is also influenced by the temperature and composition of the mixtures. When the temperature increases, the sorption selectivity of the membrane decreases.