REVERSE-OSMOSIS SEPARATION OF BINARY ORGANIC MIXTURES USING CELLULOSE-ACETATE BUTYRATE AND AROMATIC POLYAMIDE MEMBRANES

A systematic investigation has been conducted to demonstrate applicability of reverse osmosis (RO) fractionation of organic liquid mixtures by laboratory-prepared cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and aromatic polyamide (PA) membranes. The determination of preferential sorption was also conducted by using liquid chromatography technique. It was found that reverse osmosis was applicable to the fractionation of organic liquid mixtures. It was also found that the component of the binary mixture that is enriched in the membrane permeate can be predicted by considering the preferential sorption and Stokes' radius for each constituent of the feed mixture.