Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) Membranes for the Pervaporation Separation of Aroma Compound from Water

Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber membranes were fabricated in thin-film composite form to separate an aroma compound, ethyl butyrate, from water and to study the effects of operating parameters on the pervaporation performance. A resistance-in-series model was applied to the pervaporation results to estimate the transport of the permeant. The partial flux of ethyl butyrate increased with the feed concentration. It was also found that the total flux decreased with increasing permeate pressure, whereas the organic flux increased. The effect of concentration polarization on the pervaporation performance was observed with changes in the feed flow rate. It was observed that the overall mass transfer coefficient was a function of the feed flow rate at fixed feed concentration.