EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOLVENT ON ASYMMETRIC POLYSULFONE (PSF) MEMBRANES FOR CO2/CH4 SEPARATION

Abstract

The asymmetric membranes solution were developed for CO2/CH4 separation by mixing polysulfone (PSf) with NMethyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). A volatile solvent, Tetrahydrofuran (THF) was introduced into the casting solution by various loading (0 to 75%) to form a high gas separation performance of asymmetric membranes via dry/wet phase inversion method. The produced membranes were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas permeability test. SEM images of a membrane with NMP as a solvent has the thickest dense layer while a membrane with THF as a solvent has the thinnest thickness of the membrane. FTIR results indicating the present of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and methyl (CH3) group at wavelength 1170 cm-1 and 2969 cm-1 respectively verifying the use of PSf as a polymer. As for gas permeation test, the used of THF as a solvent shows the highest CO2/CH4 selectivity with the lowest permeability.

Keywords

• Gas separation
• Volatile solvent
• Tetrahydrofuran
• Polysulfone.