Influence of Chitosan molecular weight and degree of deacetylation on membrane physicochemical and separation properties in ethanol dehydration by the vapour permeation process

Abstract

Membranes were prepared using three chitosans with different molecular weights and degrees of deacetylation. The influence of chitosan features on membrane physicochemical properties, i.e. degree of swelling, contact angle and tensile strength, as well as membrane separation properties in ethanol dehydration by the vapour permeation process are discussed. The conducted experiments showed that an increase in the chitosan molecular weight led to an increase in the membrane surface contact angle concomitant with a decrease in the material selectivity coefficient. On the other hand, an increase in the chitosan degree of deacetylation caused a reduction in ethanol and improved the water permeate flux. There was greater selectivity in the test process for membranes prepared from chitosan with the lowest molecular weight.