ORGANIC VAPOR SEPARATION WITH SUPER-GLASSY POLYMER MEMBRANES

THE RECOVERY OF ORGANIC COMPOUND VAPORS FROM AIR AND OF HIGHER HYDROCARBON VAPORS FROM METHANE, ARE REALTED SEPARATIONS OF INDUSTRIAL IMPORTANCE. MEMBRANES ABE TO PREFERENTIALLY PERMEATE THE MINOR ORGANIC VAPOR COMPONENT ARE BEING DEVELOPED FOR BOTH OF THESE APPLICATIONS. FOR AN EFFICIENT PROCESS, A HIGH ORGANIC VAPOR/PERMANENTE GAS SELECTIVITY IS REQUIRED. INVESTIGATORS HAVE DISCOVERED THAT POLY(TRIMETHYL SILYLPROPYNE) {PTMSP}, A GLASSY POLYMER WITH A VERY HIGH FREE VOLUME, HAS A SELECTIVITY FOR BUTANE OVER METHANE OF ALMOS 30. THIS SELECTIVITY IS THE HIGHEST EVER OBSERVED FOR THIS MIXTURE AND IS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED FOR A GLASSY POLYMER. THE REASON FOR THIS EXTRAORDINARY RESULT IS PROBABLY RELATED TO THE HIGH FREE VOLUME OF THE GLASSY PTMSP. RESEARCHERS ARE CONDUCTING A DETAILED STUDY OF THE VAPOR SEPARATION PROPERTIES OF PTMSP AND RELATED POLYMERS WITH A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT VAPOR/GAS MIXTURES. THE DATA OBTAINED IS OF CONSIDERABLE SCIENTIFIC INTEREST AND MAY LEAD TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED MEMBRANES FOR IMPORTANT VAPOR SEPARATION APPLICATIONS.