Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T18:06:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo7801_1.pdf: 4259355 bytes, checksum: 353c84dd1ab7b13b7d52675772c2702a (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / O processo metanol/dimetiléter para olefinas (MTO) fornece uma rota alternativa pra a produção de olefinas leves, isto é, eteno e propeno, que são matérias-primas importantes para a indústria petroquímica. Este processo apresenta algumas vantagens em relação aos processos tradicionais, tais como reforma catalítica de parafinas, gás natural e outras frações leves do petróleo. O processo MTO propicia a obtenção de razões eteno/propeno em uma faixa maior e mais flexível do que o craqueamento térmico, para atender a demanda de mercado. Além disso, tanto o metanol como o dimetiléter podem ser produzidos a partir do gás de síntese, que por sua vez é obtido de fontes como gás natural, carvão, resíduos de petróleo e biomassa. Vários catalisadores têm sido testados para este processo. Dentre eles se destacam as peneiras moleculares e mais especificamente os materiais do tipo silicoaluminofosfatos. SAPO-34 tem apresentado os melhores desempenhos em termos de conversão, atividade e seletividade para olefinas leves. Este trabalho teve como objetivo sintetizar três catalisadores do tipo SAPOs, para verificar a influência de suas estruturas e da incorporação de metal na conversão de DME a olefinas. Análises de caracterização textural por adsorção de nitrogênio (BET), difração de raios-X (DRX), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), análise termogravimétrica (TG), medidas de acidez e espectrometria de absorção atômica foram relevantes para a caracterização e o entendimento das propriedades catalíticas dos materiais preparados. Nos testes catalíticos foram verificadas as influências das propriedades dos materiais preparados com relação à conversão, seletividade e atividade catalítica. Dentre os três catalisadores testados (SAPO-44, SAPO-34 e NiSAPO-34), o SAPO- 34 apresentou o melhor resultado em termos de conversão (75%), com seletividade para olefinas leves em torno de 25%. A incorporação do metal à peneira molecular mostrou-se importante, uma vez que foi possível observar a diminuição da taxa de desativação e o aumento significativo da seletividade para o eteno, resultando em uma razão molar C2 =:C3 = de aproximadamente 1,7. Testes cinéticos com o SAPO-34 foram realizados com a finalidade de desenvolver um modelo para o consumo de reagente baseando-se em uma cinética do tipo Langmuir-Hinshelwood, resultando em uma energia de ativação de 29,7 kJ.mol-1

Les systèmes de post-traitement qui combinent diverses fonctionnalités dans un même dispositif catalytique sont considérées comme une solution efficace pour réussir l’objectif définie par les restrictives futures normes qui régulent les émissions de l'industrie automobile. Ils permettent non seulement de réduire les coûts intrinsèques dus à l’encombrement mais aussi, dans certains cas, de favoriser les réactions catalytiques par des effets thermiques ou synergiques. Ce concept est particulièrement étudié pour les moteurs Diesel dont la ligne d'échappement peut comprendre jusqu'à quatre éléments. La réduction des NOx peut être réalisée par réduction catalytique sélective de l'ammoniac sur filtre (NH3-SCRF) en utilisant des catalyseurs à base de zéolite échangée par Cu ou Fe. Ce filtre à suie catalysé assume simultanément deux fonctions: l'élimination des particules et la réduction des espèces de NOx vers N2 et de l’eau. En ce qui concerne les catalyseurs SCR, la couche active est classiquement déposée sur les parois d'un substrat de grande porosité dont les canaux sont bloqués à des extrémités alternatives. Une porosité accrue du substrat du filtre (tel que la cordiérite ou SiC) est nécessaire pour permettre le dépôt de la quantité de phase de catalyseur nécessaire pour le traitement des émissions gazeuses en assurant une filtration efficace et sans produire un effet de contre-pression du system. En plus, il est nécessaire de remarquer que des nouvelles réactions se produiront dans ce système puisque la suie Diesel, le NOx et l'agent réducteur sont présents dans la même unité pour la première fois. Selon la littérature actuellement disponible, les polluants et la suie peuvent interagir de trois manières principales: 1) la suie bloque l'accessibilité du flux gazeux aux sites actifs «classiques» du catalyseur; 2) possibilité de réduction des NOx sur les particules de suie; et enfin, 3) la présence de suie affecte les performances des réactions SCR ou, au contraire, les réactions SCR affectent le processus d'oxydation des particules jusqu'à ce que la compétition pour le NO2 soit produite / Aftertreatment systems that combine various functionalities into the same catalytic device are considered to be an efficient solution to reach the target defined by the restrictive future emission standards that regulate the automotive industry emissions. They are able not only to reduce the intrinsic costs due to the packaging but also, in some cases, to promote catalytic reactions by thermal or synergistic effects. This concept is being particularly explored for Diesel engines whose exhaust line may comprise up to four separate elements. NOx abatement can be accomplished by ammonia selective catalytic reduction on filter (NH3-SCRF) using Cu or Fe-exchanged zeolite-based as catalysts. This catalysed soot filter assumes two functions, simultaneously: removal of particles and reduction of NOx species towards N2. Regarding the SCR catalysts, the active layer is conventionally deposited onto the walls of a high porosity substrate whose channels are blocked at alternative ends. An increased porosity of the filter (such as cordierite or SiC) substrate is required to allow the deposition of the amount of catalyst phase needed for the treatment of gaseous emissions while efficient filtration and without producing a backpressure effect. Furthermore, it is necessary to remark that new reactions will occur in this system as Diesel soot, NOx and the reductant agent are present in the same unit for the first time. Accordingly to the literature currently available, there are three main ways that NOx pollutants and soot may interact: 1) soot blocking the accessibility of gas flow to “classic” active sites of the catalyst; 2) possibility of NOx reduction takes place over the soot particles; and finally, 3) soot presence affects SCR reactions performance or, contrarily, SCR reactions affects PM oxidation process as far as competition for NO2 will be produced

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A reação de transformação de metanol em olefinas leves foi investigada sobre as peneiras moleculares HZSM-5, HFER, SAPO-34 e HMCM-22. A caracterização físico-química das amostras foi realizada através das técnicas de FRX, DRX, fisissorção de nitrogênio, MEV, espectrometria no IV com adsorção de piridina e TPD de NH3. O desempenho catalítico das mesmas foi comparado em condições de isoconversão inicial de 755%. Verificou-se que as características ácidas e estruturais exerceram forte influência sobre o desempenho catalítico quanto à atividade, estabilidade e seletividade aos produtos da reação. A amostra mais estável foi a HZSM-5 que apresentou maior densidade de sítios fortes e uma estrutura porosa que permite uma circulação tridimensional das moléculas. Já a menos estável, SAPO-34, apresentou a menor concentração de sítios ácidos fortes dentre os materiais estudados e uma estrutura com cavidades com aberturas estreitas (4Å) que oferecem restrições ao acesso dos reagentes aos sítios ácidos do catalisador. Quanto à seletividade a olefinas, a primeira foi mais seletiva a propeno e a segunda, a eteno. A ferrierita não se mostrou seletiva às olefinas leves tendo apresentado, no entanto, comportamento promissor quanto a formação de DME a partir do metanol. Já a HMCM-22 foi seletiva às olefinas leves e aos hidrocarbonetos com 4, 5 e 6 ou mais átomos de carbono. A influência da temperatura no desempenho catalítico foi investigada variando-se a temperatura de reação (300, 400 e 500C). Verificou-se que para a HZSM-5 e HMCM-22, perda da atividade catalítica foi intensificada a partir de 400C. Quanto à seletividade a olefinas leves, apenas a SAPO-34 não se mostrou sensível a variações na temperatura, efeito este que foi nitidamente observado nos outros três catalisadores: um aumento na temperatura promoveu um aumento na seletividade a olefinas leves no caso da HZSM-5 e da HMCM-22 e queda nesse valor para a HFER / The methanol transformation into light olefins was investigated over the molecular sieves HZSM-5, HFER, SAPO-34 and HMCM-22. FRX, DRX, nitrogen fisisorption, MEV, IR with pyridine adsorption and NH3-TPD techniques were used for the physiochemical characterization of the samples. Their catalytic performances were evaluated and compared at isoconversion initial conditions (755%). It was verified that the acid and structural characteristics strongly affected the catalytic performance with respect to activity, stability and selectivity to the reaction products. The most stable sample was HZSM, which presented higher density of strong sites and a porous structure that permits a tridimensional circulation of the molecules. The least stable was SAPO-34, which presented the lowest concentration of strong acid sites and showed a structure with cavities with narrow openings (4Å). This structure restricts the access of the reactants to the acid sites of the catalyst. In what concerns the selectivity to the olefins, the former catalyst was the most selective to propene and the latter was the most selective to ethene. Although ferrerite was not selective to light olefins, it showed promising behavior concerning the DME formation from methanol. On the other hand, HMCM-22 was selective to the light olefins and the hydrocarbons with 4, 5, 6 or more carbon atoms. The catalytic performance under different reaction temperatures (300, 400 and 500C) was investigated. The lowest catalytic activity was verified under temperatures starting from 400C. SAPO-34 was the only catalyst whose selectivity to light olefins was not sensitive to temperature variations. HZSM-5 and HMCM-22 had their selectivity to olefins increased and HFER had it decreased as the temperature was increased

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A reação de transformação de metanol em olefinas leves foi investigada sobre as peneiras moleculares HZSM-5, HFER, SAPO-34 e HMCM-22. A caracterização físico-química das amostras foi realizada através das técnicas de FRX, DRX, fisissorção de nitrogênio, MEV, espectrometria no IV com adsorção de piridina e TPD de NH3. O desempenho catalítico das mesmas foi comparado em condições de isoconversão inicial de 755%. Verificou-se que as características ácidas e estruturais exerceram forte influência sobre o desempenho catalítico quanto à atividade, estabilidade e seletividade aos produtos da reação. A amostra mais estável foi a HZSM-5 que apresentou maior densidade de sítios fortes e uma estrutura porosa que permite uma circulação tridimensional das moléculas. Já a menos estável, SAPO-34, apresentou a menor concentração de sítios ácidos fortes dentre os materiais estudados e uma estrutura com cavidades com aberturas estreitas (4Å) que oferecem restrições ao acesso dos reagentes aos sítios ácidos do catalisador. Quanto à seletividade a olefinas, a primeira foi mais seletiva a propeno e a segunda, a eteno. A ferrierita não se mostrou seletiva às olefinas leves tendo apresentado, no entanto, comportamento promissor quanto a formação de DME a partir do metanol. Já a HMCM-22 foi seletiva às olefinas leves e aos hidrocarbonetos com 4, 5 e 6 ou mais átomos de carbono. A influência da temperatura no desempenho catalítico foi investigada variando-se a temperatura de reação (300, 400 e 500C). Verificou-se que para a HZSM-5 e HMCM-22, perda da atividade catalítica foi intensificada a partir de 400C. Quanto à seletividade a olefinas leves, apenas a SAPO-34 não se mostrou sensível a variações na temperatura, efeito este que foi nitidamente observado nos outros três catalisadores: um aumento na temperatura promoveu um aumento na seletividade a olefinas leves no caso da HZSM-5 e da HMCM-22 e queda nesse valor para a HFER / The methanol transformation into light olefins was investigated over the molecular sieves HZSM-5, HFER, SAPO-34 and HMCM-22. FRX, DRX, nitrogen fisisorption, MEV, IR with pyridine adsorption and NH3-TPD techniques were used for the physiochemical characterization of the samples. Their catalytic performances were evaluated and compared at isoconversion initial conditions (755%). It was verified that the acid and structural characteristics strongly affected the catalytic performance with respect to activity, stability and selectivity to the reaction products. The most stable sample was HZSM, which presented higher density of strong sites and a porous structure that permits a tridimensional circulation of the molecules. The least stable was SAPO-34, which presented the lowest concentration of strong acid sites and showed a structure with cavities with narrow openings (4Å). This structure restricts the access of the reactants to the acid sites of the catalyst. In what concerns the selectivity to the olefins, the former catalyst was the most selective to propene and the latter was the most selective to ethene. Although ferrerite was not selective to light olefins, it showed promising behavior concerning the DME formation from methanol. On the other hand, HMCM-22 was selective to the light olefins and the hydrocarbons with 4, 5, 6 or more carbon atoms. The catalytic performance under different reaction temperatures (300, 400 and 500C) was investigated. The lowest catalytic activity was verified under temperatures starting from 400C. SAPO-34 was the only catalyst whose selectivity to light olefins was not sensitive to temperature variations. HZSM-5 and HMCM-22 had their selectivity to olefins increased and HFER had it decreased as the temperature was increased

Membrane based separation techniques have been widely used and developed over decades. Generally polymeric membranes are used in membrane based gas separation / however their gas separation performances are not sufficient enough for industrial feasibility. On the other hand inorganic membranes have good separation performance but they have processing difficulties. As a consequence mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) which comprise of inorganic particles dispersed in organic matrices are developed. Moreover, to enhance the interaction between polymer and zeolite particles ternary mixed matrix membranes are introduced by using low molecular weight additives as third component and promising results were obtained at 35 &deg / C. Better understanding on gas transport mechanism of these membranes could be achieved by studying the effect of preparation and operating parameters. This study investigates the effect of operation temperature and annealing time and temperature on gas separation performance of MMMs. The membranes used in this study consist of glassy polyethersulfone (PES) polymer, SAPO-34 particles and 2- v hidroxy 5-methyl aniline (HMA) as compatibilizer. The membranes fabricated in previous study were used and some membranes were used as synthesized while post annealing (at 120&deg / C, 0.2atm, N2 atm, 7-30 days) applied to some membranes before they are tested. The temperature dependent gas transport properties of the membranes were characterized by single gas permeation measurements of H2, CO2, and CH4 gases between 35 &deg / C-120 &deg / C. The membranes also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Annealing time and temperature affected the reproducibility and stability of the mixed matrix membranes and by applying post annealing step to mixed matrix membranes at higher temperatures and longer times, more stable membranes were obtained. For pure PES membranes thermally stable performances were obtained without any need of extra treatment. The permeabilities of all studied gases increased with increasing operation temperature. Also the selectivities of H2/CO2 were increased while CO2/CH4, H2/CH4 selectivities were decreased with temperature. The best separation performance belongs to PES/SAPO-34/HMA mixed matrix membrane at each temperature. When the temperature increased from 35 &deg / C to 120 &deg / C H2/CO2 selectivity for PES/SAPO- 34/HMA membrane was increased from 3.2 to 4.6 and H2 permeability increased from 8 Barrer to 26.50 Barrer. This results show that for H2/CO2 separation working at higher temperatures will be more advantageous. The activation energies were found in the order of / CH4 &gt / H2&gt / CO2 for all types of membranes. Activation energies were in the same order of magnitude for all membranes but the PES/SAPO-34 membrane activation energies were slightly lower than PES membrane. Furthermore, PES/SAPO-34/HMA membrane has activation energies higher than PES/SAPO-34 membrane and is very close to pure membrane which shows that HMA acts as a compatibilizer between two phases.

In 21st century, researchers make great effort of finding a clean transportation fuel to diminish the severe effects of conventional transportation fuel combustion such as global warming and air pollution. Dimethyl ether is considered as a strong fuel alternative due to its good burning characteristics and environmentally friendly properties. In order to produce dimethyl ether, different synthesis routes and solid acid catalysts are being utilized. SAPO-34 is an aluminophosphate based catalyst having moderate acidity. This property makes it a good candidate for the synthesis of dimethyl ether. However, SAPO-34 has microporous structure causing diffusion limitations. The objective of this study is to synthesize, characterize mesoporous SAPO-34 like catalytic materials and test the activity of them in methanol dehydration reaction. The benefit of obtaining mesoporous structure is that the diffusion limitations can be eliminated. Mesoporous SAPO-34 like catalysts were synthesized through hydrothermal synthesis route. BET surface areas of these catalysts were 117-133 m2/g. All methanol dehydration reactions were carried out at a space time of 0.14 s.g/cm3. By using mesoporous SAPO-34 like catalysts, the highest methanol conversion was 48% obtained at 550&deg / C with DME selectivity and yield values of 1 and 0.49, respectively. Since utilizing microporous SAPO-34 catalyst gave higher methanol conversion, 67%, at lower temperature, 250&deg / C, with dimethyl ether selectivity of around 1, mesoporous SAPO-34 like catalysts are not suitable for this reaction.

The methanol-to-olefins reaction is an important industrial process for the production of light olefins (C2-C4). Silicoaluminophosphates are the most common catalysts for this process with SAPO-34 (CHA), SAPO-18 (AEI) and their intergrowths being considered the most catalytically active and selective. Understanding the crystal growth of such materials is important for control of the structure and defect incorporation, which can have a large effect on the catalytic behaviour. In this thesis, the synthesis, characterisation, catalysis and crystal growth of such materials are investigated. A series of CHA/AEI intergrowth materials were synthesised by sequential increases in silicon content, where low silicon content led to formation of AEI and higher silicon content led to CHA and intergrowth formation. X-ray diffraction and MAS-NMR were used to quantify the amount of intergrowth and there was a strong correlation between both techniques. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) revealed the mechanism by which these intergrowth structures grow. There is competition at the surface between the spiral-growth and layer-growth mechanisms, which has a significant effect on the resulting intergrowth, as intergrowth formation is only permitted with a layer-growth mechanism. Intergrowth on screw dislocations is not allowed, and thus discrete blocks of pure-phase AEI or CHA form. These intergrowth materials were tested for their performance in the methanol-to-olefins reaction. With a higher level of silicon, the catalysts had a larger acid site density but equivalent acid strength. The conversion of methanol over the catalysts correlated with the acid site density, where a greater acid site density led to higher conversion and faster deactivation. The selectivity over time was similar for all catalysts, with a high selectivity to ethylene and propylene. However, at the same percentage conversion, the C2/C3 ratio showed a strong correlation to the cage shape. Catalysts with a higher ratio of AEI cages had a higher selectivity to C3 and C4 products than the other catalysts, owing to the larger size of the internal AEI cage compared to the CHA cage. The crystal growth mechanism on SAPO-18 was investigated in detail to interrogate the complex spiral pattern that forms on the surface. Spirals form in a triangular type pattern due to differences in growth rates in different crystallographic directions. Interlaced terraces were also present. The unit cell and the relative orientation of the AEI cages define the different growth rates. In-situ AFM was used to investigate the dissolution behaviour of SAPO-18 and SAPO-34. In both cases, dissolution occurred via classical step retreat. The similarity in the layer stacking in both materials led to equivalent structure dissolution in both cases. The 0.9 nm layers dissolved first to 0.7 nm (closed cages) then to 0.4 nm (unstable intermediates). Dissolution of SAPO-18 revealed unusual spiral dissolution pits near the core of the dislocations. CHA/AEI intergrowth materials were also prepared using a dual-template method, where two templates, morpholine for CHA and N,N-diisopropylethylamine for AEI, were combined during synthesis. The phase transition from CHA to AEI occurred at different molar ratios with different synthesis procedures. XRD modelling confirmed the synthesis of an intergrowth phase at a molar ratio of 70% morpholine and 30% DPEA. Changes in chemical shift in the 13C MAS-NMR were used to observe the different template interactions with the framework as the ratio of CHA and AEI cages changed.

The goal of this research was to identify and fabricate zeolitic membranes that can separate radioisotope krypton-85 (half-life 10.72 years) and xenon gas released during spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. In spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, fissionable plutonium and uranium are recovered from spent nuclear fuel and recycled. During the process, krypton-85 and xenon are released from the spent nuclear fuel as process off-gas. The off-gas also contains NO, NO2, 129I, 85Kr, 14CO2, tritium (as 3H2O), and air and is usually vented to the atmosphere as waste without removing many of the radioactive components, such as 85Kr. Currently, the US does not reprocess spent nuclear fuel. However, as a member of the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC, formerly the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership), the United States has partnered with the international nuclear community to develop a “closed” nuclear fuel cycle that efficiently recycles all used nuclear fuel and safely disposes all radioactive waste byproducts. This research supports this initiative through the development of zeolitic membranes that can separate 85Kr from nuclear reprocessing off-gas for capture and long-term storage as nuclear waste. The implementation of an 85Kr/Xe separation step in the nuclear fuel cycle yields two main advantages. The primary advantage is reducing the volume of 85Kr contaminated gas that must be stored as radioactive waste. A secondary advantage is possible revenue generated from the sale of purified Xe. This research proposed to use a zeolitic membrane-based separation because of their molecular sieving properties, resistance to radiation degradation, and lower energy requirements compared to distillation-based separations. Currently, the only commercial process used to separate Kr and Xe is cryogenic distillation. However, cryogenic distillation is very energy intensive because the boiling points of Kr and Xe are -153 °C and -108 °C, respectively. The 85Kr/Xe separation step was envisioned to run as a continuous cross-flow filtration process (at room temperature using a transmembrane pressure of about 1 bar) with a zeolite membrane separating krypton-85 into the filtrate stream and concentrating xenon into the retentate stream. To measure process feasibility, zeolite membranes were synthesized on porous α-alumina support discs and permeation tested in dead-end filtration mode to measure single-gas permeance and selectivity of CO2, CH4, N2, H2, He, Ar, Xe, Kr, and SF6. Since the kinetic diameter of krypton is 3.6 Å and xenon is 3.96 Å, zeolites SAPO-34 (pore size 3.8 Å) and DDR (pore size 3.6 Å) were studied because their pore sizes are between or equal to the kinetic diameters of krypton and xenon; therefore, Kr and Xe could be separated by size-exclusion. Also, zeolite MFI (average pore size 5.5 Å) permeance and selectivity were evaluated to produce a baseline for comparison, and amorphous carbon membranes (pore size < 5 Å) were evaluated for Kr/Xe separation as well. After permeation testing, MFI, DDR, and amorphous carbon membranes did not separate Kr and Xe with high selectivity and high Kr permeance. However, SAPO-34 zeolite membranes were able to separate Kr and Xe with an average Kr/Xe ideal selectivity of 11.8 and an average Kr permeance of 19.4 GPU at ambient temperature and a 1 atm feed pressure. Also, an analysis of the SAPO-34 membrane defect permeance determined that the average Kr/Xe selectivity decreased by 53% at room temperature due to unselective defect permeance by Knudsen diffusion. However, sealing the membrane defects with polydimethylsiloxane increased Kr/Xe selectivity by 32.8% to 16.2 and retained a high Kr membrane permeance of 10.2 GPU at ambient temperature. Overall, this research has shown that high quality SAPO-34 membranes can be consistently fabricated to achieve a Kr/Xe ideal selectivity >10 and Kr permeance >10 GPU at ambient temperature and 1 atm feed pressure. Furthermore, a scale-up analysis based on the experimental results determined that a cross-flow SAPO-34 membrane with a Kr/Xe selectivity of 11.8 and an area of 4.2 m2 would recover 99.5% of the Kr from a 1 L/min feed stream containing 0.09% Kr and 0.91% Xe at ambient temperature and 1 atm feed pressure. Also, the membrane would produce a retentate stream containing 99.9% Xe. Based on the SAPO-34 membrane analysis results, further research is warranted to develop SAPO-34 membranes for separating 85Kr and Xe.

Zeolite membranes are formed as a thin zeolitic layer on the supports. They are usually synthesized by hydrothermal methods in batch systems. In this study, MFI and SAPO-34 type zeolite membranes were produced on macroporous tubular alumina supports in a recirculating flow system at elevated temperatures for the first time in the literature. During the synthesis, the synthesis mixture is flown between the reservoir and the membrane module which includes the support material. The synthesis temperatures were 180&deg / C and 220&deg / C, and the corresponding system pressures were approximately 20 and 30 bars for MFI and SAPO-34, respectively. The CH4 and n-C4H10 single gas permeances were measured through MFI membranes and the performance of membranes was investigated in the separation of equimolar CH4/n-C4H10 mixtures. The best MFI membrane had a CH4 single gas permeance of 1.45x10-6 mol/m2-s-Pa and CH4/n-C4H10 ideal selectivity of 35 at 25oC. The membranes preferentially permeated n-C4H10 in the separation of mixtures. The n-C4H10/CH4 separation selectivity was 43.6 with a total permeance of approximately 0.8x10-6 mol/m2-s-Pa at 25oC. The ideal selectivities of CO2/CH4 of SAPO-34 membrane synthesized in stagnant medium were 227, and &gt / 1000 at 220 and 200oC, respectively. Formation of amorphous structure and the additional secondary phases (impurities) were observed on SAPO-34 membranes synthesized in recirculating flow system. The results showed that it is possible to produce SAPO-34 and high quality MFI membranes by a recirculating flow system operating at elevated temperature.

ABSTRACT EFFECT OF PREPARATION AND OPERATION PARAMETERS ON PERFORMANCE OF POLYETHERSULFONE BASED MIXED MATRIX GAS SEPARATION MEMBRANES Karatay, Elif M.Sc., Department of Chemical Engineering Supervisor : Prof. Dr. Levent Yilmaz Co-supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Halil Kalip&ccedil / ilar August 2009, 126 pages Membrane processes have been considered as promising alternatives to other competing technologies in gas separation industry. Developing new membrane morphologies are required to improve the gas permeation properties of the membranes. Mixed matrix membranes composing of polymer matrices and distributed inorganic/organic particles are among the promising, developing membrane materials. In this study, the effect of low molecular weight additive (LMWA) type and concentration on the gas separation performance of neat polyethersulfone (PES) membranes and zeolite SAPO-34 containing PES based mixed matrix membranes was investigated. Membranes were prepared by solvent evaporation method and annealed above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PES in order to remove the residual solvent and erase the thermal history. They were characterized by single gas permeability measurements of H2, CO2, and CH4 as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Various LMWAs were added to the neat PES membrane at a concentration of 4 wt %. Regardless of the type, all of the LMWAs had an anti-plasticization effect on PES gas permeation properties. 2-Hydroxy 5-Methyl Aniline, HMA, was selected among the other LMWAs for parametric study on the concentration effect of this additive. The incorporation of SAPO-34 to PES membranes increased the permeabilities of all gases with a slight loss in selectivities. However, the addition of HMA to PES/SAPO-34 membranes increased the ideal selectivities well above the ideal selectivities of PES/HMA membranes, while keeping the permeabilities of all the gases above the permeabilities of both pure PES and PES/HMA membranes.