Removal of sulfur compounds from fuel fluid by pervaporation method using thin layer nanocomposite membranes

In this research, composite membranes were fabricated with polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) and polydimethylsiloxan (PDMS) as support and thin layer respectively and were used in order to decrease sulfur content of gasoline by pervaporation. The copper metal organic framework (Cu-MOF) was incorporated to polydimethylsiloxan resin as filler and then the mixture was cast onto PPS support layer. X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used to study the structure of Metal organic framework nanoporous particles and investigate the morphology of Cu-MOF and prepared membranes. The membrane containing 5.0 wt% Cu-MOF exhibited the highest enrichment factor (5.5) with a permeation flux of 4.5 kg/(m2h).

Keywords:

Pervaporation , PDMS , Desulfurization , Thin film composite membranes