Effect of the Addition of Fructose on the Pervaporation of Ethanol/Water Mixtures by Silicone-Rubber-Coated Polyethersulfone Membranes

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Abstract
Composite hollow fiber membranes were prepared by coating polyethersulfone hollow fibers with silicone rubber. The hollow fiber membranes so produced were found to be water selective when they were used for the separation of feed ethanol/water mixtures by pervaporation. When fructose was added to feed ethanol/water mixtures, a decrease in permeation rate and an increase in water selectivity were observed. The decrease in the permeation rate was possible to assume, but the noticed increase in water selectivity was against our expectation, since the vapor pressure of water decreases while that of ethanol increases when sugars are added to mixtures of ethanol and water. Water selectivity of the membrane was enhanced with an increase in the amount of fructose in the feed.