Exploring the potential of highly selective deep eutectic solvents (DES) based membranes for dehydration of butanol via pervaporation

N-butanol has unique physicochemical and combustion properties, similar to gasoline, which makes it an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fuels. To improve the efficiency, the dehydration of butanol is necessary. This paper aims to investigate the performance of Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) based membranes for the dehydration of n-butanol by the pervaporation process. Three DES with different combinations of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, i.e., DL-menthol: Lauric acid (DES), DL-menthol-Palmitic acid (DES), and [TETA] Cl: Thymol (DES), were used. We hypothesized that (i) incorporation of hydrophobic DES would increase the hydrophobicity of the membranes; (ii) specific functional groups (phenolic group, amine group) in DESs would enhance the butanol-philic character of membranes, and (iii) hydrophobic DESs would increase the butanol separation efficiency and permeability of membranes. FTIR analysis and physicochemical parameters of the resultant liquid mixture validated the DESs' production. The DESs were then filled into the permeable support, resulting in supported liquid membranes (SLMs). An additional layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was coated directly on the DES-PSf layer to prevent leaching out of DES. A feed containing a 6 wt % aqueous solution of butanol under varying temperatures was studied. The results showed that among all membranes, [TETA] Cl: Thymol DES-based membrane showed the highest sorption of 36% at room temperature. The introduction of DES in membranes resulted in a remarkable increase in the separation factor while sustaining a reasonable flux. Among all the membranes, the DL-menthol: Lauric acid (DES) based membrane exhibited the highest separation factor of 57 with a total flux of 0.11 kg/m2. h. Significantly high butanol-water separation was attributed to the low viscosity and high butanol solubility of the chosen DES, which makes it a suitable substitute to conventional ILs.