SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND APPLICATION OF ZEOLITE MEMBRANES FOR KCl SOLUTION FILTRATION

• Main Author: Luqman Ivansyah, Atthar
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Kimia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/35079
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Two zeolite membranes have successfully been synthesized by in-situ hydrothermal method on a supporting ceramic membrane surface. As organic templates, TBABr and TPABr were used in the synthesis of first and second zeolite membrane respectively. SEM-EDS confirmed the existence of a grown layers above the support membrane. The size of zeolite crystals on the first membrane is smaller than the second zeolite membrane. The experiments show that the permeat flux of the first zeolite membrane (after compaction) was 20,7 L.hr-1.m-2 and the permeat flux of the second zeolite membrane (after compaction) was 6,5 L.hr-1.m-2. The average rejection of the first zeolite membrane for the K+ ions in the feed solution was 53.04% and the average rejection of the second membrane was 46.15%. Experimental results are supported by computational studies with molecular mechanics methods which indicates that the zeolite crystals in the first zeolite membrane tend to have larger pore size than the pore size in the second membrane. The membrane pore size correlate with diameter of the ring formed by Si-O-Si or Si-O-Al network in the zeolite crystals. The larger number of rings Si-O-Si or Si-O-Al in the case of TBABr is more preferable than in the case of TPABr due to a lower energy system. Thus, this computational study provides a qualitative information that permeat flux of the first zeolite membrane will be larger than the second zeolite membrane. In addition, as an indirect consequence of the larger number of pores, the computational studies indicate that the first zeolite membrane has a greater membrane rejection towards the ionic species in the feed solution than in the case of second zeolite membrane.