Membrane permeation process for dehydration of organic liquid mixtures using sulfonated ion-exchange polyalkene membranes
OwnerIsrael Cabasso, Emmanuel Korngoldinventors
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Abstract
A membrane permeation process for dehydrating a mixture of organic liquids, such as alcohols or close boiling, heat sensitive mixtures. The process comprises causing a component of the mixture to selectively sorb into one side of sulfonated ion-exchange polyalkene (e.g., polyethylene) membranes and selectively diffuse or flow therethrough, and then desorbing the component into a gas or liquid phase on the other side of the membranes.
Claims30
In a process for dehydrating a feed mixture comprised of organic liquids using a polymer membrane having an upstream side and a downstream side wherein a permeant, which is a component of the feed mixture or a mixture comprised of the feed mixture enriched in one of its components, is caused to selectively sorb into the upstream side of the membrane and diffuse or flow through the membrane, and the permeant is desorbed on the downstream side of the membrane, the improvement which comprises:
- using as said membrane a sulfonated ion-exchange polyalkene prepared by reacting, in the liquid or gas phase, chlorine and sulfur dioxide with a linear poly (C.sub.2 -C.sub.18 alkene) in the presence of a free radical initiating catalyst or light to produce a chlorsulfonated polyalkene and subsequently either hydrolyzing the chlorsulfonated polyalkene to produce a cation-exchange sulfonated polyalkene or quaternarizing or treating the chlorsulfonated polyalkene with an amine to produce an anion-exchange sulfonated polyalkene, the sulfonated ion-exchange polyalkene having a degree of sulfonation which will permit said permeant to be selectively sorbed into said membrane, the ion-exchange polyalkene containing a counter-ion, said membrane being at least 20% amorphous in structure and having a charge density between about 0.2 meq/gr and about 4.5 meq/gr.
In a pervaporation process for dehydrating an organic liquid from a feed mixture containing the organic liquid in water using a thin-permselective membrane having an upstream side and a downstream side, wherein said mixture is brought into contact with the upstream side of the membrane, a permeant which is a component of the feed mixture of the feed mixture enriched in a component thereof is caused to permeate through the membrane as a gas phase by maintaining a low chemical potential for the permeant at the downstream side of the membrane, withdrawing the permeant from the downstream side of the membrane, and condensing and collecting the permeant as a liquid or solid, the improvement which comprises:
- employing as said membrane a sulfonated ion-exchange polyalkene prepared by reacting, in the liquid or gas phase, chlorine and sulfur dioxide with a linear poly (C.sub.2 -C.sub.18 alkene) in the presence of a free radical initiating catalyst or light to produce a chlorsulfonated polyalkene and subsequently either hydrolyzing the chlorsulfonated polyalkene to produce a cation-exchange sulfonated polyalkene or quaternarizing or treating the chlorsulfonated polyalkene with an amine to produce an anion-exchange sulfonated polyalkene, the sulfonated ion-exchange polyalkene having a degree of sulfonation which will permit said permeant to be selectively sorbed into said membrane, said ion-exchange polyalkene containing a counter-ion, said membrane being between about 25% and about 75% amorphous in structure and having a charge density between about 0.2 meq/gr and about 4.5 meq/gr.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.