In situ determination of the adsorption characteristics of a zeolite membrane

A methodology based on adsorption-branch porosimetry is described for in situ measurement of the adsorption of condensable gases within the pore structure of inorganic membranes. The method is applied to the study of n-hexane and p-xylene adsorption in a high-silica, MFI zeolite membrane. The results, interpreted in terms of a simple model for competitive adsorption effects on the permeance of a non-adsorbing gas, yield Langmuir adsorption constants and Henry’s law constants for n-hexane and p-xylene that are in excellent agreement with measurements on bulk materials. The method is proposed for the fundamental study of fouling characteristics of inorganic membranes, especially in cases where a true bulk surrogate is not available.