Pervaporation of TFEA/MA/Water Mixtures through PVA Composite Membranes

In order to investigate applicability for 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA) produced by esterification of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol(TFEA) and methacrylic acid(MA) using pervaporation membrane, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite membranes were prepared with glutaraldehyde(GA) onto porous polyethersulfone(PES) support. The degree of crosslinking and thickness of PVA coating layer were analyzed by swelling test and SEM(scanning electron microscopy), respectively. Pervaporation test was done with two feed mixures; TFEA/water, MA/water. The pervaporation data were obtained as a function of content of crosslinking agent, feed composition, and operating temperature, respectively. In case of TFEA-water(90/10 wt%) feed mixture at $80^{\circ}C$, the optimized membrane showed the high permeation flux of 1.5 $kg/m^2hr$ and separation factor of 320. In case of MA-water(90/10 wt%) feed mixture, the membranealso showed high permeation flux of 2.3 $kg/m^2hr$ and separation factor of 740 in same conditions.