Pervaporation Purification of Oxygenate from an Ethyl tert-Butyl Ether/Ethanol Azeotropic Mixture

Abstract

Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) is one of the most promising oxygenates used as high-octane components of fuels. A method to purify ETBE from an ethanol/ETBE azeotropic mixture formed during industrial synthesis is pervaporation. In this study, hybrid membranes containing nanodiamond particles incorporated into the P84 copolyimide matrix have been synthesized for the pervaporation purification of ETBE. The membrane structure has been studied by scanning electron microscopy and via determining the experimental and theoretical density and free volume. The transport properties of the membranes have been determined in sorption and pervaporation experiments. It has been shown that the introduction of up to 1 wt % of nanodiamonds in the P84 matrix leads to an increase in the main mass transfer parameters, namely, the flux and the separation factor of the azeotropic mixture.

Copolyimide molecular brushes with poly(methacrylic acid) side chains as additive to polyphthalamide membrane: Organization, physical, and transport properties

“…29 MTBE is a high-octane component used as a gasoline additive and antiknock agent. 30 At present, ethyl tert-butyl ether, 31 dimethyl carbonate, 32 and monomethyl aniline, 33 which also have certain advantages, are used along with MTBE, but MTBE remains the most popular octane enhancer. MTBE is obtained by the reaction of isobutylene with an excess of MeOH.…”

Effect of ionic liquid on formation of copolyimide ultrafiltration membranes with improved rejection of La3+

“…P84 copolyimide (BTDA-TDI/MDI) is a product of polycondensation between benzophenone-3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate/1,1′-methylenebis(4-isocyanatobenzene) (80/20%) ; this commercially available polyheteroarylene exhibits good mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and low hydrophilicity. P84 copolyimide has been studied as a membrane material for nanofiltration 24 , gas separation 25 , 26 , and pervaporation 14 , 27 – 30 .…”