In membrane reactors, the interaction of reaction and membrane separation can be exploited to achieve a "process intensification", a key objective of sustainable development. In the present work, the properties that the membrane must have to obtain this result in a pervaporation reactor are analyzed and discussed. Then, the methods to enhance these properties are investigated for the photocatal...

Asymmetric tubular alumina-supported poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) membranes were created and characterized by pervaporation separation of binary mixtures of methanol and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). The active separation layer was created by free-radical graft polymerization of PVAc and PVP onto a vinylsilane-modified alumina substrate with an average native p...

We report an extensive study of the concentration process of aqueous polymer solutions confined within microfluidic channels, owing to the pervaporation of water through the matrix of the chip. Concentration of polymer continuously increases up to the formation of a dense material which eventually invades the channel. This technology can be used to fabricate micro-composites of different shapes...

Pervaporation membrane technology plays an important role in production of renewable bio-fuels. To improve the separation performance of polymeric membranes, an effective approach is development of mixed-matrix membranes containing high-performing fillers such as metal-organic frameworks. Towards practical application, hollow fiber could be an ideal substrate for mixed-matrix composite membrane...