Synthesis and Permeation Properties of SAPO-34 Tubular Membranes

Abstract

A SAPO-34 membrane was prepared on an alumina tubular support. This membrane appears to exhibit molecular sieving properties with permeances that decrease as the kinetic diameter increases. The room-temperature permeances of H2 and n-C4H10 were 2.4 × 10-8 and 1.9 × 10-10 mol/(m2 s Pa), respectively, and the permeances were in the order H2 > CO2 > N2 > CH4 > n-C4H10. As the temperature increased, the single gas permeances of H2 and N2 exhibited minima, whereas the permeance of CO2 decreased and that of CH4 increased. As the pressure increased with a constant pressure drop across the membrane, the permeances of H2, CO2, N2, and CH4 decreased. The H2/CH4, CO2/CH4, H2/N2, and CO2/N2 ideal selectivities at 300 K and 270 kPa feed pressure with a 138 kPa pressure drop were 25, 19, 7.4, and 5.7, respectively, and these selectivities decreased with increasing temperature and increased with increasing pressure. The ideal selectivity of N2/CH4 was 3.4 at the same conditions and decreased with increasing temperature and increasing pressure. The H2/CO2 ideal selectivity was 1.3 at the same conditions and increased with increasing temperature and pressure. At 270 kPa feed pressure and 138 kPa pressure drop, the CO2/CH4 mixture selectivity was 30 at 300 K and 3.4 at 470 K.