Evaluation ethylcellulose membrane modified with NaA and NaX zeolites for the dehydration of hydrazine hydrate by pervaporation process

ABSTRACT

Polymeric ethylcellulose (EC) membrane modified with NaA and NaX in different zeolite loading (10, 20, 30 and 40 wt%) and used in pervaporation dehydration of hydrazine hydrate. The modified membrane prepared by the solution casting method. Pervaporation experiments were conducted at room temperature. Results have shown which hydrophilicity and pervaporation performance of the neat ethylcellulose membrane was enhanced by the incorporation of zeolite into the polymeric matrix. The pervaporation performance enhancement of the modified membrane can be attributed to its hydrophilic inherent and molecular sieving properties of zeolites. The results showed that increasing the zeolite concentration increases the normal flux of the membrane, but selectivity and Pervaporation Separation Index (PSI) will have a maximum value in 30% of zeolite loading. In addition, the results showed that in equal amounts of zeolite; Membranes containing NaA perform better than membranes containing NaX in the pervaporation process. The highest flux and selectivity are64.761 g/m².h and 12.368 for NaA-EC respectively. The swelling degree of the modified membrane was investigated by the sorption experiment at room temperature. Mechanical stability tests of membranes show that the mechanical strength of modified membranes improves compared to ethylcellulose polymeric membrane.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethylcellulose
• zeolite
• pervaporation
• hydrazine hydrate
• membrane

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.