Polymer-Ceramic Pervaporation Membranes for Organic-Organic Liquid Separation (TSE99-D)

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT CTS-9985532 Y. Cohen, University of California, Los Angeles There is a growing need in chemical manufacturing and pollution prevention for new processes capable of selectively separating and concentrating target species from organic liquid mixtures to increase product purity and for in-process recycling. In recent years, membrane systems have been touted as an efficient means to achieve difficult liquid-phase separations, especially from dilute solutions, at a reduced energy consumption level relative to conventional technologies (e. g., distillation, extraction). Despite the attractiveness of membrane technology, selective membrane technology, selective membranes for organic-organic liquid separations with adequate structural integrity and longevity are lacking. In order to meet the above challenge, the proposed project will focus on the development and demonstration of novel class of robust hybrid polymer, ceramic (PolyCer) membranes for organic-organic separations. The proposed PolyCer membranes will be fabricated by a surface-graft polymerization process resulting in a molecular layer of polymer chains which are terminally and covalently anchored to the pore surface of the porous ceramic support. Given the covalent anchoring of the active polymer chains, the PolyCer membrane will retain its structural integrity and performance even when the polymer phase is exposed to organics that are good solvents for the polymer. Through the selection of the polymer most appropriate for the desired separation task, the polymer surface layer can be synthesized to impact specific separation properties to the membrane. It is expected that this project will lead to the demonstration of a new technology for the tailor design of a new class of selective and robust ceramic-supported polymer membranes. The new approach will allow the rapid deployment of task-specific membranes for in-processes separation for recovery and recycle a selective replacement of energy intensive separation processes (e.g., distillation) in a variety of industrial applications. Mary,