CHAPTER 10 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE WORK In this work, several aspects of the process design of pervaporation have been

investigated. In particular, an experimental technique has been developed for characterization of sorption and diffusion properties, software tools have been developed for the process design and novel process configurations involving pervaporation have been investigated. Future work may involve extension of the experimental technique to multicomponent systems, development of a

multicomponent diffusion model and further investigation of the process modification involving permeate absorption in an ionic liquid. The experimental technique developed in this work may be used for the determination of sorption and diffusion properties for various polymers. Ionic liquids show good selectivity for aromatics over aliphatics. Hence, novel ionic-liquid-based polymers would be good candidates for the investigation of this application. The sorption and diffusion properties so obtained may in turn provide insight into applications involving related nonporous membrane processes like vapor permeation, dialysis, perstraction and reverse osmosis. At present, there is no suitable model for describing multicomponent diffusion through polymers. Transient permeation experiments for single as well as twocomponent permeation along with the time-lag analysis described in this work may be used along with independent sorption measurements to test the various multicomponent diffusion models. The free-volume-based multicomponent diffusion model proposed in this work may provide the framework for such an analysis. The
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model involves use of mixing rules to determine the free volume of the three component mixture involving the polymer and the two diffusing components. Measurement of two-component diffusion parameters will allow evaluation of this model and identification of suitable mixing rules. A novel pervaporation process modification involving permeate-side absorption in an ionic liquid has been proposed in this work. Vapor permeation experiments for a single component have been carried out in this work. Future work may include evaluation of the technique for liquid or vapor mixtures as well as a detailed process design and comparison with the conventional pervaporation process configuration.

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