Dehydration of industrial isopropanol (IPA) waste by pervaporation and vapor permeation membranes

ABSTRACT We have investigated the feasibility of using polymeric membranes for the dehydration of industrial isopropanol (IPA) waste from MSD International GmbH by pervaporation and vapor permeation in this study. Four types of membranes were employed. They were (1) thin‐film composite hollow fiber consisting of a polyamide selective layer and a polyetherimide Ultem® substrate, (2) dual‐layer hollow fiber comprising an outer cellulose triacetate (CTA) layer and an inner Ultem® substrate, and (3) two commercially available Sulzer flat‐sheet membranes. The dual‐layer hollow fiber shows the most balanced separation performance in terms of flux and separation factor for the dehydration of industrial IPA waste because it has a porous substructure and a thin dense selective layer. Under vapor permeation tests at 125 °C, it has a flux of 13.41 kg/m2 h and a separation factor of 1332. This study demonstrates the great potential of using polymeric membranes to dehydrate industrial IPA waste for pharmaceutical and electronic industries. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45086.