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A POLYMER-CERAMIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANE FOR RECOVERING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM WASTEWATERS BY PERVAPORATION
Citation:
Sikdar*, S K. AND S GanapathiDesai**. A POLYMER-CERAMIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANE FOR RECOVERING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM WASTEWATERS BY PERVAPORATION. Chum, H. (ed.), CLEAN PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 2(3):140-148, (2000).
Description:
A composite membrane was constructed on a porous ceramic support from a block copolymer of styrene and butadiene (SBS). It was tested in a laboratory pervaporation apparatus for recovering volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such a 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) and trichloroethylene (TCE) from dilute aqueous solutions. This polymer-ceramic composite membrane yielded significantly higher VOC selectivity than an SBS membrane without the ceramic support, for comparable fluxes. At VOC concentrations near 100 ppm, fluxes and selectivities of VOCs were essentially independent of the number of VOCs in solution. The liquid-side boundary layer resistance dominated mass transport. The experimental data fit the resistance-in-series model and yielded reliable membrane permeability values. This method using this high-performing membrane offers potentially cleaner and cost-effectively means of recovering VOCs from contaminanted streams.