Novel Pervaporation Membranes Based on Biopolymer Sodium Alginate Modified by FeBTC for Isopropanol Dehydration

Modern society strives for the development of sustainable processes that are aimed at meeting human needs while preserving the environment. Membrane technologies satisfy all the principles of sustainability due to their advantages, such as cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, absence of additional reagents and ease of use compared to traditional separation methods. In the present work, novel green membranes based on sodium alginate (SA) modified by a FeBTC metal–organic framework were developed for isopropanol dehydration using a membrane process, pervaporation. Two kinds of SA-FeBTC membranes were developed: (1) untreated membranes and (2) cross-linked membranes with citric acid or phosphoric acid. The structural and physicochemical properties of the developed SA-FeBTC membranes were studied by spectroscopic techniques (FTIR and NMR), microscopic methods (SEM and AFM), thermogravimetric analysis and swelling experiments. The transport properties of developed SA-FeBTC membranes were studied in the pervaporation of water–isopropanol mixtures. Based on membrane transport properties, 15 wt % FeBTC was demonstrated to be the optimal content of the modifier in the SA matrix for the membrane performance. A membrane based on SA modified by 15 wt % FeBTC and cross-linked with citric acid possessed optimal transport properties for the pervaporation of the water–isopropanol mixture (12–100 wt % water): 174–1584 g/(m2 h) permeation flux and 99.99 wt % water content in the permeate.

On the Acid Sites of Phosphorous Modified Zeosils

The acid sites of phosphorus-containing zeosils were probed through a combination of solid acid characterization, density functional theory calculations, and kinetic interrogations, establishing their weakly Brønsted acidic character. Due to the disparity in acid-site strength, P-zeosils catalyzed the probe chemistry of isopropanol dehydration slower than aluminosilicate zeolites by an order of magnitude on an active site basis. Propene selectivity during isopropanol dehydration remained 20-30% higher than that of aluminosilicates, illustrating the distinct nature of the weakly acidic phosphorus active sites that favored unimolecular dehydration routes. Regardless of the confining siliceous environment, the nature of phosphorous active sites was unchanged, indicated by identical apparent uni- and bi-molecular dehydration energy barriers. Kinetic isotope experiments with deuterated isopropanol feeds implicated an E2-type elimination to propene formation on phosphorus-containing materials. Comparison of KIEs between phosphorus-containing zeosils and aluminosilicates pointed to an unchanged isopropanol dehydration mechanism, with changes in apparent energetic barriers attributed to weaker binding on phosphorous-active sites that lead to a relatively destabilized alcohol dimer adsorbate. Both ex-situ alkylamine Hofmann elimination and in-situ pyridine titration characterization methods exhibited phosphorous acid site counts dependent on probe molecules identity and/or concentration, underpinning the limitations of extending common characterization techniques for Brønsted-acid catalysis to weakly acidic materials.

On the Acid Sites of Phosphorous Modified Zeosils

The acid sites of phosphorus-containing zeosils were probed through a combination of solid acid characterization, density functional theory calculations, and kinetic interrogations, establishing their weakly Brønsted acidic character. Due to the disparity in acid-site strength, P-zeosils catalyzed the probe chemistry of isopropanol dehydration slower than aluminosilicate zeolites by an order of magnitude on an active site basis. Propene selectivity during isopropanol dehydration remained 20-30% higher than that of aluminosilicates, illustrating the distinct nature of the weakly acidic phosphorus active sites that favored unimolecular dehydration routes. Regardless of the confining siliceous environment, the nature of phosphorous active sites was unchanged, indicated by identical apparent uni- and bi-molecular dehydration energy barriers. Kinetic isotope experiments with deuterated isopropanol feeds implicated an E2-type elimination to propene formation on phosphorus-containing materials. Comparison of KIEs between phosphorus-containing zeosils and aluminosilicates pointed to an unchanged isopropanol dehydration mechanism, with changes in apparent energetic barriers attributed to weaker binding on phosphorous-active sites that lead to a relatively destabilized alcohol dimer adsorbate. Both ex-situ alkylamine Hofmann elimination and in-situ pyridine titration characterization methods exhibited phosphorous acid site counts dependent on probe molecules identity and/or concentration, underpinning the limitations of extending common characterization techniques for Brønsted-acid catalysis to weakly acidic materials.

On the Acid Sites of Phosphorous Modified Zeosils

The acid sites of phosphorus-containing zeosils were probed through a combination of solid acid characterization, density functional theory calculations, and kinetic interrogations, establishing their weakly Brønsted acidic character. Due to the disparity in acid-site strength, P-zeosils catalyzed the probe chemistry of isopropanol dehydration slower than aluminosilicate zeolites by an order of magnitude on an active site basis. Propene selectivity during isopropanol dehydration remained 20-30% higher than that of aluminosilicates, illustrating the distinct nature of the weakly acidic phosphorus active sites that favored unimolecular dehydration routes. Regardless of the confining siliceous environment, the nature of phosphorous active sites was unchanged, indicated by identical apparent uni- and bi-molecular dehydration energy barriers. Kinetic isotope experiments with deuterated isopropanol feeds implicated an E2-type elimination to propene formation on phosphorus-containing materials. Comparison of KIEs between phosphorus-containing zeosils and aluminosilicates pointed to an unchanged isopropanol dehydration mechanism, with changes in apparent energetic barriers attributed to weaker binding on phosphorous-active sites that lead to a relatively destabilized alcohol dimer adsorbate. Both ex-situ alkylamine Hofmann elimination and in-situ pyridine titration characterization methods exhibited phosphorous acid site counts dependent on probe molecules identity and/or concentration, underpinning the limitations of extending common characterization techniques for Brønsted-acid catalysis to weakly acidic materials.