REMOVAL OF WATER FROM AROMA AQUEOUS MIXTURES USING PERVAPORATION PROCESSES

In the field of food technology the main applications of pervaporation through hydrophilic membranes are the removal or extraction of water from aroma azeotropic aqueous mixtures. In this study, experiments for removal of water containing aroma compounds of ethanol, propanol, but anol, hexanol, ethyl acetate and acetic acid were performed through a composite, plate and frame type hydrophilic PVA (poly vinyl alcohol) m embrane in a 0.5 m(2) plane module at constant feed temperature and pe rmeate Vacuum pressure. The analysis is presented in terms of variatio ns in permeation flux and separation factor. The results show the decr ease in separation factor as well as permeation Aux with the increase of alcohol in feed. Hexanol does not permeate through PVA membrane. Ac tivity coefficient of water is higher than that of organic. Pervaporat ion selectivity differ from Liquid-vapor thermodynamic equilibrium.