Separation of MTBE-Methanol Mixtures by Pervaporation

Abstract

Membranes made of a polymer blend of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(vinyl alcohol) were evaluated for the separation of methanol from methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) by pervaporation. The influence of the blend composition and the feed composition on the pervaporation performance were investigated. Methanol permeates preferentially through all tested blend membranes, and the selectivity increases with increasing poly(vinyl alcohol) content in the blends. However, a flux decrease is observed with increasing poly(vinyl alcohol) content. With increasing feed temperature the flux increases, and the selectivity remains constant. In addition, the influence of crosslinking on the permselectivity was investigated. The pervaporation flux decreases with increasing crosslinking density, but the selectivity is enhanced. This is due to a more rapid decrease in the component flux of MTBE compared to that of methanol.