ID:

996

Primary Contact:
Carolina Guedes Fioravante Rezende , Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
Seropédica , Brazil

All Authors:
Carolina Guedes Fioravante Rezende, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (Primary
Presenter)
Cristiano Piacsek Borges, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Alberto Claudio Habert, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Symposia/Special Sessions/Technical Tracks/Student Competition:

C9 Separation and Bioseparation

Oral or Poster presentation:

Oral

If an oral presentation is not available would a poster be acceptable?:

Yes

Presenting or Corresponding Author:

Presenter and Corresponding Author

Abstract Title:
Evaluation of Sorption of Propylene and Propane in Membrane of Polyurethane Containing Silver
Nanoparticles

Abstract:
Facilitated transport membranes have been studied as a better economical alternative to the
actual cryogenic distillation process for propylene/propane separation. The challenge in this
area is the plasticizing effect caused by the strong interaction between propylene and silver
nanoparticles that act as facilitating transport agent. As a consequence a drastic decrease in
the diffusion selectivity occurs in the permeation of multicomponent mixtures. To evaluate the
plasticization effect, pure component gas sorption study has been undertaken as a first insight
study of the transport behavior for a range of operational conditions. In this work, the sorption
of propane and propylene was evaluated by single pressure decay apparatus. The amount of
gas sorbed by the membrane material at a given pressure and temperature is determined by
the difference between initial (feed pressure) and the final pressure (equilibrium pressure).
The sorption tests were performed for propane and propylene with polyurethane (PU) and
polyurethane containing silver nanoparticles membranes (PUAg), at several temperatures and
pressures. Comparing the solubility of propylene and propane, the sorption isotherms showed
that the amount of propylene sorbed by PUAg is high enough to reach 10% of the membrane
mass at 30o C and 7 bar, whereas the amount of propane in PUAg, at the same conditions,
correspond to 1,5% of the PUAg mass. Compared to the PU membrane, the preferential
interaction between propylene and silver nanoparticles in PUAg causes an increase in sorption
selectivity of PUAg membrane as seen in Figure 1. Figure 1 (A) also shows that decrease in
temperature or the increase in system pressure lead to an increase in sorption selectivity.
Propylene condensability is therefore enhanced and membrane plasticizing promoted. Results
point out towards a better understanding and perspectives with regard to the application of
facilitated transport membranes in the propylene/propane separation.

Abstract Image 1:

Invited Speaker:
No

Presentation Recording:
Not Applicable

Would you like to be entered into the Graduate Student Poster Competition?:
N/A

I would like my presentation to be considered for publication in the special issue of the
Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. :
Yes

Yes, I acknowledge that the co-authors that will be listed on this submission are aware and
have agreed to be listed.:
Yes, co-authors are aware and have agreed