Removal of acetone, ethyl acetate and ethanol vapors from air using a hollow fiber PDMS membrane module

Polyetherimide (PEI) membranes coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are frequently used for removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air. An experimental and theoretical study was performed to evaluate the effects of the feed flow rate, feed VOC composition, feed and permeate total pressure using a hollow fiber membrane module for separating acetone, ethyl acetate and ethanol from air. The results are discussed on a basis of permeate flux and permeate VOC concentration. It was found that the hollow fiber module provides good separation capabilities, in spite of the observed PEI sub-layer mass transport resistance, and the proposed model fits the experimental results fairly well.