SEPARATION OF METHYL ETHYL KETONE FROM WATER BY PERVAPORATION USING ASILICALITE MEMBRANE

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) was preferentially removed from aqueous solu tions by pervaporation through a silicalite-l zeolite membrane at 34 d egrees C. Feed concentrations between 0.8 and 15.4 wt% MEK were used, and the azeotrope concentration was surpassed in the permeate above 5% MEK in the feed. The MEK fluxes increased from 0.06 to 0.36 kg/(m(2) h) over this range and the separation factors were between 70 and 146. Separation factors for the silicalite membrane were considerably high er than those for single stage distillation. A silicalite membrane tha t does not have good N-2/SF6 pure gas permeance ratio (equal to 14) is shown to obtain high separation factors for liquids.