Pervaporation separation of IPA‐water mixtures through 4A zeolite‐filled sodium alginate membranes

Incorporation of zeolites into natural polymers has been shown experimentally to enhance both the flux and selectivity in pervaporative dehydration separation of organic compounds. Pervaporation is a promising membrane technique for separation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)/water mixtures. In this study, hydrophilic sodium alginate (SA) mixed membranes were prepared using solution casting technique by incorporating zeolites into the polymer matrix. The prepared membranes were characterized by ATR‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were tested in a laboratory scale pervaporation experimental set‐up. The effect of experimental parameters such as the type and composition of zeolites on permeation flux and selectivity was investigated. When tested on IPA‐water mixtures, the zeolite‐filled membrane was found to give much higher selectivity.