Development of Ethanol/Water Gating Membranes for Ethanol Fermentation Process

抄録

We have prepared gating membranes that are sensitive to ethanol concentration using a plasma graft filling polymerization technique. poly- n-isopropylacrylamide-co- n-isopropylmethacrylamide (poly-NIPAM-co-NIPMAM) were grafted onto porous polyethylene (PE) substrates, and their gating response to the ethanol concentration in the feed was investigated. A copolymer of NIPAM and NIPMAM-grafted porous polyethylene membranes prepared from a monomer solution that contained 60 mol% of NIPMAM exhibited large changes in flux (from almost zero up to about 100 kg/m²/h) at around 8 wt% of ethanol in the feed. The membranes that we have developed would be applicable to ethanol production by a biomass fermentation process accompanied by a purification stage using membranes, where it is important to control the ethanol concentration in the fermentation tank for efficient production.