Polyethersulfone/Polyvinyl Acetate Blend Membrane for CO2/CH4 Gas Separation

Abstract

The synthesis of polyethersulfone (PES)/polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) blend membrane was successfully developed by dry phase inversion method. The membrane morphology characterized using Field Emission Electron Microscope (FESEM) showed both polymers were homogeneously mixed and a dense structure was formed. A shift in characteristic peak for most chemical groups was observed in blend membrane as analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis which suggests the presence of molecular interaction between the blend polymers. The permeability of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) gases was recorded at a constant pressure of 10 bars and room temperature. The permeability across polymer blend membrane showed better performance as compared with native polymer membrane.