SELECTIVE SORPTION OF LATEX MEMBRANES WITH ETHANOL-WATER MIXTURES

Latex membranes have recently found use in pervaporation separation. The sorption of water-ethanol mixtures to latex membranes was carried out on three types of latex membranes, poly(acrylonitrile-co-butyl acrylate) [P(AN-BuA)], poly(methyl methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate) [P(MMA-BuA)], and poly(styrene-co-butyl acrylate) [P(ST-BuA)], which were prepared in our laboratory by direct casting of polymer latexes synthesized by emulsion polymerization. These latex membranes all exhibit preferential sorption and permeation toward water. Both water and ethanol sorption to the latex membranes exhibited nonideal sorption, with water sorption being enhanced greatly by the presence of ethanol. It was shown that the solubility parameter theory did not give correct predictions for the preferential sorption of latex membranes. Better results were obtained by using the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter.