Pervaporation Dehydration of Isopropanol–Water Mixtures Using Chitosan Zeolite–A Membranes
Authors: Mohd. Nawawi Mohd. Ghazali , Ngoc Tram Le T. 
Published: January 2013

Kajian pervaporasi (PV) penyahidratan isopropanol (IPA) menggunakan membran kitosan terubahsuai telah dijalankan. Membran disediakan daripada kitosan dan diubahsuai menggunakan zeolite–A. Zeolit–A yang diketahui beratnya ditambahkan ke dalam pelarut berasid dan diaduk untuk menghasilkan larutan homogen. Kepingan kitosan kemudian ditambahkan ke dalam larutan tersebut dan diaduk semalaman. Pelbagai nisbah zeolit–A dan kitosan daripada 1:20 hingga 1:2 digunakan untuk menghasilkan membran kitosan terubahsuai. Larutan kitosan–zeolit–A dituangkan ke atas plat kaca dan dikeringkan pada suhu bilik. Membran yang dikeringkan kemudian dirawat dengan larutan alkali dan dibasuh di dalam air ternyahion. Sifat hidrofilik membran dikaji melalui ujian pengembungan. Ujian dijalankan dalam campuran 90 wt.% IPA–air. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa darjah pengembungan berkurangan dengan penambahan zeolit–A. Sifat mekanikal membran dikaji untuk kekuatan tegangan dan pemanjangan pada takat putus. Kemudian, membran tersebut dikaji untuk pemisahan campuran IPA–air pada tekanan 720 mmHg di bawah vakum. Kepekatan suapan diubah daripada 0 hinga 95 wt.% IPA dan suhu suapan diubah daripada 30 hingga 70°C. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa nisbah 1:8 antara zeolit dan kitosan menghasilkan kombinasi terbaik untuk mengubahsuai membran bagi pemisahan campuran IPA–air. Struktur morfologi membran kitosan–zeolit–A dengan nisbah 1:8 dan 1:2 berat zeolit–A/berat kiotsan dikaji menggunakan Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa membran yang dihasilkan adalah padat dan tiada liang dapat diperhatikan. Penambahan zeolit tidak mengubah struktur membran.

Kata kunci: Pervaporasi, penyahidratan, membrane, kitosan, zeolite-A, isopropanol

Pervaporation (PV) dehydration of isopropanol (IPA) using modified chitosan membranes was studied. The membranes were prepared from chitosan and modified by using zeolite–A. Pre–weighed amount of zeolite–A was added into acidic solvent and stirred to produce homogeneous solution. Chitosan flakes were then added into the solution and stirred overnight. Various ratios of zeolite–A and chitosan from 1:20 to 1:2 were used to produce the modified chitosan membranes. The chitosan–zeolite A solution was casted on a glass plate and dried at room temperature. The dried membranes were treated with alkaline solution and thoroughly washed in deionized water. The hydrophilicity of the membranes was studied through the swelling test. The test was carried out in a 90 wt% IPA–water mixture. The result showed that the degree of swelling decreased with the increase of the amount of zeolite–A. The mechanical properties of membranes were also tested for the tensile strength and elongation at break. Then, the membranes were investigated for the PV separation of IPA–water mixtures at the permeate pressure of 720 mmHg under vacuum. The feed concentration was varied from 0 to 95 wt% IPA, and the feed temperature was varied from 30 to 70°C. The results showed that the ratio 1:8 of zeolite–A and chitosan produced the best combination to modify the membrane for the separation of water–IPA mixtures. The structural morphologies of the chitosan filled zeolite–A membranes with ratio 1:8 and 1:2 wt zeolite–A/wt chitosan was studied under Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the membranes were dense, and no pores were visible. The addition of the zeolite did not alter the structure of the membranes.

Key words: Pervaporation, dehydration, membrane, chitosan, zeolite-A, isopropanol