Permeation of Vapors Through Porous Membranes

Abstract

Three types of microporous membranes have been investigated regarding their porsity and permeability for vapors. Permeation tests were carried out on membranes made from polypropylene and mixed polyethylene and polypropylene using ?-pinene and dibutylsulphide as vapors. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy to evaluate their overall porosity. Vaporization experiments with ?-pinene and dibutylsulphide were performed using a distillation set-up with the membrane intersecting the vapor flow. Permeation was determined as a function of weight of permeated vapor to the weight of the original specimen. The membrane made from polypropylene showed the highest permeability, while additives and filler particles present in membranes made from mixed polyethylene and polypropylene and UV treated Polypropylene membranes might have slowed the flow of vapor. The permeability of ?-pinene for all the three membranes was higher when compared to experiments performed with dibutylsulphide.