SUZ-4 zeolite membrane fabricated by dynamic hydrothermal crystallization for pervaporation separation of MeOH/MMA mixture.

The SUZ-4 zeolite membrane was prepared on the hollow fiber ceramic membrane via the secondary growth method modified by the dynamic hydrothermal process. The surface morphology and pervaporation (PV) performance of zeolite membranes fabricated by dynamic and static hydrothermal processes were studied. The surface of the zeolite membrane prepared by the dynamic hydrothermal process was covered with rod-shaped crystals, while the static one was full of crystal clusters fabricated by small-sized crystals. Besides, the separation factor of the SUZ-4 zeolite membrane made via dynamic hydrothermal method for separating 10 wt% methanol (MeOH)/methyl methacrylate (MMA) mixture at 50 °C exceed 10000 with a flux of 3.83 kg·m−2·h−1, which was better than the static one and showed excellent long-term stability. This work provided the important assistance for the preparation of SUZ-4 zeolite membranes in the separation of MeOH/MMA and MeOH/dimethyl carbonate (DMC) organic mixtures and demonstrated the great potential of dynamic process in promoting the membrane properties. SUZ-4 zeolite membrane with rod-shaped crystals on the surface was obtained by dynamic hydrothermal crystallization. Meanwhile, the SUZ-4 zeolite membrane fabricated by dynamic crystallization exhibited excellent pervaporation performance for separating the methanol and methyl methacrylate mixtures. [Display omitted] • SUZ-4 zeolite membranes were successfully fabricated on the α-Al 2 O 3 hollow fiber ceramic membrane. • The zeolite membranes with rod-shaped crystals on the surface were acquired by the optimization of dynamic crystallization. • These membranes exhibited excellent pervaporation performance on separating the methanol and methyl methacrylate mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]