Influence of silica nanoparticles on the performance of ABS/PVAc polymeric blend membrane for separation of helium from methane

One of the most important and practical methods of improving performance of polymeric membranes for gas separation is the incorporation of inorganic fillers into polymeric membrane matrix. In present study, first, the influence of different amounts of PVAc in the ABS/PVAc blend membranes in the separation of helium from methane was investigated. Then, using the best composition in case of the He permeability and He/CH4 selectivity, the effect of addition of silica nanoparticles into the membrane was studied. The results showed that addition of 3 wt% silica nanoparticles in the ABS/PVAc(20%) blend membrane, increases He permeability (from 6.3 to 59 barer), while selectivity of membrane reduces from 45 to 6.2. In order to modify selectivity, compatibilizing effect of SBR was examined adding 5-15 wt% SBR into the ABS/PVAc/SiO2(3%) membrane. It was found that the membrane with 15% SBR loading, with the He permeability of 42 barer and the He/CH4 selectivity of 52, has the best separation performance. Furthermore, He permeability decreased with increasing pressure from 1 to 4 bar, then it did not changes considerably with elevating pressures. All right reserved.