Gas Sorption, Permeation and Separation of ABS Copolymer Membrane

J. MARCHESE; E. GARIS; M. ANSON; N.A. OCHOA; C. PAGLIERO

JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE

Elsevier

Año: 2003 vol. 221 p. 185 - 197

0376-7388

This work examines the gas transport and sorption properties of a commercial acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS)copolymer (Lustran®246), containing 60% styrene, 27% acrylonitrile and 13% butadiene. Permeability, diffusion and sorptioncoefficients of CO2, CH4, N2 and O2 in ABS membrane were determined at temperatures from 20 to 50 ◦C and pressures inthe 2–10×105 Pa range. The coefficients correspond to the van’t Hoff and Arrhenius relationships. In order to analyze theeffect of plasticization, permeation properties were also determined at a feed pressure of 2×106 Pa with a 50% CO2/CH4mixture. Interesting O2 permeability values and O2/N2 separation factors in the whole range of temperature studied wereobtained.The results presented and discussed in this paper suggest that the ABS copolymer can be used as membrane material forthe separation of O2/N2 at moderate temperature (20–50 ◦C), as far as it exhibits a balance of adequate thermal, mechanicaland gas separation properties.