Morteza Asghari - Separation Processes Research Group (SPRG), Department of Engineering, University of Kashan, Ghotb-e-Ravandi Ave., Kashan,
Toraj Mohammadi - Research Laboratory for Separation Processes, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran, Iran,

A seeded in situ hydrothermal treatment was used to synthesize tubular supported mordenite (MOR) membranes. The pervaporative properties of the membranes were evaluated in dehydration of water/ethanol mixtures. Commercial mordenite powder was used to completely seed the outer surface of the supports by soaking them into a suspension solution before hydrothermal synthesis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the zeolite crystals formed on the mullite support revealed the mordenite peaks. The membranes were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that oriented, intergrown mordenite crystals covered the outer surface of the substrate tubes duringthe hydrothermal process. The membrane layer thickness was about 20 μm. Typical membranes yielded water/ethanol separation factors of 65-562 for different feeds concentrations. The results confirmed that the membranes were defectfree.

Mordenite membrane; Hydrothermal; Mullite; Pervaporation; Ethanol dehydration