Hydrophobic Hyflon AD/Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Membranes for Butanol Dehydration via Pervaporation

Novel hydrophobic Hyflon AD/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes Were developed and investigated for n-butanol dehydration via pervaporation. The coating protocols for a thin defect-free Hyflon Ab, selective layer on the PVDF support were optimized. Water and n-butanol transport was measured, analyzing the effect of the operating conditions. The water flux through the newly developed membranes was higher than 150 g/m(2).h, with the selectivity for water higher than 99 wt %. The focus was on the use of Hyflon AD as the selective layer for n-butanol dehydration. The membrane application can be extended to other solvents, supporting an effective and simple method for dehydration with hydrophobic membranes.