Membrane alcohols

The key to repeated use is the coexistence of hydrophilic groups and functional groups. The surface of protein has hydrophobic patches. Therefore, proteins easily adsorb nonselectively onto the surface of a hydrophobic polymeric support. In order to realize repeated adsorption and elution of protein using functional porous membranes, alcoholic hydroxyl groups are appended along with the functional groups of the polymer chains grafted onto the pore surface. This idea is similar to that on which Svec s work [68] was based. 

Bambagioni V, Bianchini C, Marchionni A, Filippi J, Vizza F, Teddy J, Serp P, Zhiani M (2009) Pd and Pt-Ru anode electrocatalysts supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes and their use in passive and active direct methanol alcohol fuel cells with an anion-exchange membrane (alcohol = methanol, ethanol, glycerol). J Power Sources 190 241-251... 

Gueneri G., Membrane alcohol separation process integrated pervaporation and fractional distillation, Trans. IChemE, 70(A), 501 508 (1992). 

Bambagioni, V, Bianchini, C., Marchionni, A., et al. (1990). Pd and Pt-Ru Anode Electrocatalysts Supported on Multi-waUed Carbon Nanotubes and their Use in Passive and Active Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells with an Anion-exchange Membrane (Alcohol = Methanol, Ethanol, Glycerol), J. Power Sources, 190, pp. 241-251. 

First, we consider the experimental aspects of osmometry. The semiperme-able membrane is the basis for an osmotic pressure experiment and is probably its most troublesome feature in practice. The membrane material must display the required selectivity in permeability-passing solvent and retaining solute-but a membrane that works for one system may not work for another. A wide variety of materials have been used as membranes, with cellophane, poly (vinyl alcohol), polyurethanes, and various animal membranes as typical examples. The membrane must be thin enough for the solvent to pass at a reasonable rate, yet sturdy enough to withstand the pressure difference which can be... 

Filters for use in sterile gas filtration must conform to standards similar to those mandated for sterile hquid filtration. Nondestmctive integrity tests may be apphed. The tests are performed by wetting the filter with an appropriate solvent, commonly 60/40 isopropyl alcohol/water for hydrophobic membranes, and applying air or nitrogen gas at a preset pressure. 

One report (13) describes the procedure for spinning dry asymmetric ceUulose acetate fiber with a bore skin. Such fibers are spun in a modified dry-spinning process in which a volatile Uquid (methyl formate) is used as the ceUulose acetate solvent. The bore coagulating Uquid is isopropyl alcohol, which is subsequentiy removed. The advantages of these dry fibers over most ceUulose acetate membranes are that they can be stored dry, they are wet-dry reversible, they can be sterilized and packed dry, and they are ready for use without removal of preservatives. 

The selectivity of pervaporation membranes varies considerably and has a critical effect on the overall separation obtained. The range of results that can be obtained for the same solutions and different membranes is illustrated in Figure 41 for the separation of acetone from water using two types of membrane (89). The figure shows the concentration of acetone in the permeate as a function of the concentration in the feed. The two membranes shown have dramatically different properties. The siUcone mbber membrane removes acetone selectively, whereas the cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membrane removes water selectively. This difference occurs because siUcone mbber is hydrophobic and mbbery, thus permeates the acetone preferentially. PVA, on the other hand, is hydrophilic and glassy, thus permeates the small hydrophilic water molecules preferentially. 

Fig. 41. The pervaporation separation of acetone—water mixtures achieved with a water-selective poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membrane and with an acetone-selective siUcone mbber membrane. The PVA membrane is best suited to removing small amounts of water from a concentrated acetone solution, whereas the siUcone mbber membrane is best suited to removing small amounts of acetone from a dilute acetone stream (89).

The acetone-selective, siUcone mbber membrane is best used to treat dilute acetone feed streams and concentrate most of the acetone in a small volume of permeate. The water-selective, poly(vinyl alcohol) membrane is best used to treat concentrated acetone feed streams containing only a few percent water. Most of the water is then removed and concentrated in the permeate. Both membranes are more selective than distillation, which rehes on the vapor—hquid equiUbrium to achieve a separation. 

Pervaporation has been commercialized for two appHcations. The first and most developed is the separation of water from concentrated alcohol solutions. GFT of Neunkirchen, Germany, the leader in this field, installed their first important plant in 1982. More than 100 plants have been installed by GFT for this appHcation (90). The second appHcation is the separation of small amounts of organic solvents from contaminated water (91). In both of these apphcations, organics are separated from water. This separation is relatively easy, because organic compounds and water, due to their difference in polarity, exhibit distinct membrane permeation properties. The separation is also amenable to membrane pervaporation because the feed solutions are relatively nonaggressive and do not chemically degrade the membrane. 

Membranes becoming more widely available for aqueous—organic separations some successful industrial appHcations reported for dehydrations and removal of alcohols (ethanol and above) from water. 

In the suspension polymerization of PVC, droplets of monomer 30—150 p.m in diameter are dispersed in water by agitation. A thin membrane is formed at the water—monomer interface by dispersants such as poly(vinyl alcohol) or methyl cellulose. This membrane, isolated by dissolving the PVC in tetrahydrofuran and measured at 0.01—0.02-p.m thick, has been found to be a graft copolymer of polyvinyl chloride and poly(vinyl alcohol) (4,5). Early in the polymerization, particles of PVC deposit onto the membrane from both the monomer and the water sides, forming a skin 0.5—5-p.m thick that can be observed on grains sectioned after polymerization (4,6). Primary particles, 1 p.m in diameter, deposit onto the membrane from the monomer side (Pig. 1), whereas water-phase polymer, 0.1 p.m in diameter, deposits onto the skin from the water side of the membrane (Pig. 2) (4). These domain-sized water-phase particles may be one source of the observed domain stmcture (7). 

Pervaporation. Vapor arbitrated pervaporation is used to remove ethanol from whiskey by selective passage of the alcohol through a membrane. Whiskey flows on one side of a membrane. A water-vapor stream flows on the other side and sweeps away the ethanol that permeates the membrane. Thus alcohol reduction and selective retention of flavor and aroma components can be achieved usiag membranes with a particular porosity. The ethanol can be recovered by condensing or scmbbiag the vapor stream. Pervaporation systems operate at or slightly above atmospheric pressure (Fig. 

In this process the addition of water vapor to the sweep stream can be controlled so that the water activity of the gas phase equals that of the beverage. When this occurs, there is no transport of water across the membrane. The water content of both the beverage feed and the sweep stream is kept constant. These conditions must be maintained for optimum alcohol reduction. The pervaporation system controls the feed, membrane, airstream moisture level, and ethanol recovery functions. An operational system has been developed (13). 

Reverse Osmosis. A reverse osmosis (RO) process has been developed to remove alcohol from distilled spirits without affecting the sensory properties (14). It consists of passing barrel-strength whiskey through a permeable membrane at high pressure, causing the alcohol to permeate the membrane and concentrating the flavor components in the retentate. 

Benzyl chloride [(chloromethyl)henzene, a-chlorotoluene], CgH CH2Cl, is a colorless Hquid with a very pungent odor. Its vapors are irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes, and it is classified as a powerfljl lacrimator. The physical properties of pure benzyl chloride are given in Table 2 (2—7). Benzyl chloride is insoluble in cold water, but decomposes slowly in hot water to benzyl alcohol. It is miscible in all proportions at room temperature with most organic solvents. The flash point of benzyl chloride is 67°C (closed cup) 74°C (open cup) autoignition temperature is 585°C lower flammability limit 1.1% by volume in air. Its volume coefficient of expansion is 9.72 x. ... 

Fig. 3. A commercial dialysis faciUty showiag the dialysis section of a German brewery where alcohol is removed from beer. Technical dialysis modules contain up to 50,000 capillaries and around 23 m (250 ft ) of membrane surface area. Typical plants might contain between 50 and 100 modules.

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