Nonpolar solvents
have been reported to exhibit a nonlinear flux–pressure
behavior in hydrophobic membranes. This study explored the flux–pressure
relationship of six nonpolar solvents in a lab-cast hydrophobic poly(dimethylsiloxane)
(PDMS) membrane and integrated the permeance behavior in the evaluation
of the proposed transport model. The solvents exhibited a nonlinear
relationship with the applied pressure, along with the point of permeance
transition (1.5–2.5 MPa), identified as the critical pressure
corresponding to membrane compaction. Two classical transport models,
the pore-flow model and solution-diffusion model, were evaluated for
the prediction of permeance. The solution-diffusion model indicated
a high correlation with the experimental results before the point
of transition (R
2 = 0.97). After the point
of transition, the compaction factor (due to membrane compaction after
the critical pressure) derived from the permeance characteristics
was included, which significantly improved the predictability of the
solution-diffusion model (R
2 = 0.91).
A nonlinear flux–pressure behavior was also observed in hexane–oil
miscella (a two-component system), confirming the existence of a similar
phenomenon. The study revealed that a solution-diffusion model with
appropriate inclusion of compaction factor could be used as a prediction
tool for solvent permeance over a wide range of applied transmembrane
pressures (0–4 MPa) in solvent-resistant nanofiltration (SRNF)
membranes.