Permeation of Adsorbable and Non-Adsorbable Gases in Microporous Zeolite Membranes

A simple experiment is described to study the permeation of adsorbable and non-adsorbable gases through microporous membranes. The permeation fluxes of nitrogen and carbon dioxide through a zeolite membrane are measured at two temperatures for different trans-membrane pressure drops. Single gas permeances and the corresponding ideal selectivities are calculated as function of the pressure drop. Based on the experimental results, students are able to identify and discriminate transport mechanisms occurring in porous media and gain insight on fundamentals of membrane and diffusion processes.