Computer simulation for the pervaporation process of wate/ethanol mixture through interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) membranes

In this study, the pervaporation behavior of EtOH-water mixture through interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) membranes was predicted. The pervaporation characteristics of single component membranes were modelled according to the “six coefficients model” proposed by Brun J. Membrane Sci., 23 (1985) 257]. In the case of the IPN membrane, two models were proposed according to the phase structure of the IPN. For a uniphase membrane with no phase separation, the compositional averages of the single component membrane coefficients were used. In the case of the phase separated IPN, two cases exist. The first is the island and sea model: one phase is continuous and the other is discrete. The second is the cocontinuous model, in which two continuous phases exist. For these cases the permeation rate and separation factor of the IPN membrane were calculated using the experimental sorption data and pure component values for each IPN composition. Comparison with the experimental data indicates that these models could be to predict the performances of IPN membranes depending on the morphology of the IPN.