Desalination 200 (2006) 68–70
Zeolite NaA membranes synthesis
Afshin Pak, Toraj Mohammadi
Introduction
In this paper, a method of zeolite NaA membrane synthesis is investigated. In order to find the most effective factors on preparation of a zeolite membrane without crack, an L18 orthogonal array was used. The investigated factors were Na2O/ Al2O3, SiO2/Al2O3, H2O/Al2O3 ratios, temperature, time, and number of coating. Each factor had three levels. Quantity of each level was determined from its histogram. Taguchi’s quality engineering was applied to the zeolite NaA membrane synthesis. Separation factor of the membrane was used as response factor. Higher separation factor means more qualified membrane. By comparison of XRD patterns and separation factor values, it perceived that hydroxy sodalite zeolite membrane has also high separation factor. Experimental design was used to understand the effect of each factor. Effects of uncontrollable factors could be also minimized to improve the membrane quality. The results confirm the superior performance of the zeolite membranes for dehydration of water/ethanol mixtures due to their uniform nanopores.
