Effect of Deacetylation Degree in Chitosan Composite Membranes on Pervaporation Performance

The effect of the degree of deacetylation in chitosan composite membranes on their pervaporation performance for ethanol dehydration was investigated. The degree of deacetylation of chitosans was measured by using an infrared spectroscopic method and elemental analysis. The chitosan composite membranes were prepared by coating a chitosan solution onto a microporous polyethersulfone membrane with 3-7 nm pore sizes. Then the surface of the top layer (chitosan) of well-dried membranes was crosslinked with sulfuric acid, and pervaporation experiments for binary mixtures (water-ethanol) were carried out at various conditions. In the case of a chitosan membrane with a high degree of deacetylation, the flux increases while the separation factor decreases compared with membranes with a low degree of deacetylation.