Tailoring the properties of carbon molecular sieves membranes for the separation of propionic acid from aqueous solutions

In the fermentative production of propionic acid (PA), the major problem with batch fermentation systems is the strong inhibitory effect of PA on the production yield; one way to increase the yield is the in-situ removal of PA by using pervaporation. Acetic acid (AA) is the most important by-product in the fermentation; therefore, the membrane should be able to remove selectively PA from an aqueous solution containing AA. Considering that PA is more hydrophobic than AA and their kinetic diameter are 0.480 and 0.436 nm respectively, hydrophobic membranes with main pores in the range of around 0.5–0.6 nm with high permeation are required. Supported thin Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes (CMSM) were prepared by the dip coating a porous alumina support into a solution containing resorcinol phenolic resin as carbon source. The hydrophobicity was obtained by carbonizing the polymer at temperatures higher than 750 °C and adding polyvinyl butyral (PVB) as pore forming agent and carbon contributor. PA with 88 % of purity was obtained by pervaporation of an aqueous solution containing 5 % of PA and 5 % of AA using a CMSM carbonized at 850 °C containing 1 % of PVB in the dipping solution. • CMSMs able to separate propionic acid from an aqueous mixture are developed. • To inhibit the permeation of water, the membranes have been modified to be hydrophobic. • PA is adsorbed in the pores blocking the passage of the more hydrophilic and smaller AA. • PA with 88 % of purity was obtained by pervaporation of an aqueous solution containing 5 % of PA and 5 % of AA.