Methyl Ethyl Ketone removal from Water via Pervaporation Using a Hydrophobic silicone-based Membrane

The experimental study for the separation of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) from water using the pervaporation membrane process with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane was conducted. Initially, several polymers were selected using Hansen solubility parameters, and ultimately, polydimethylsiloxane was chosen. In this study, ELASTOSIL® RT 601 A/B, which has a structure similar to polydimethylsiloxane, commercially known as Silgard 184, was used. This was confirmed through analyses such as FTIR, NMR, SEM, and water contact angle measurements, but the ELASTOSIL® RT 601 A/B was used at one-third of the price of Silgard 184. The feed was highly non-ideal and contained a heterogeneous azeotrope. The pervaporation experiments were performed at concentrations (5–15 wt%) and temperatures (40–60°C) under a vacuum pressure of 200 mbar. For a 5 wt% feed at 40°C, a total flux of 1.0208 kg/m²·h and a selectivity of 33 was achieved. Additionally, the effects of operational parameters, such as feed concentration and temperature, on the two factors of selectivity and flux were evaluated.