High-performance UiO-66-NH2 tubular membranes by Zirconia-induced synthesis for desulfurization of model gasoline via pervaporation

Feichao Wu, Yi Cao, Haiou Liu, Xiongfu Zhang

Index: 10.1016/j.memsci.2018.03.090

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Abstract

Defect-free UiO-66-NH2 membranes with high performance were prepared on the inner side of porous tubular α-alumina substrates modified with a thin layer of zirconia and were explored for the deep desulfurization of model gasoline via pervaporation. The deliberate modification of the α-Al2O3 substrates with zirconia (ZrO2) sol greatly favors the formation of high-quality UiO-66-NH2 membranes. The effects of different phase states of ZrO2 on the growth of UiO-66-NH2 membranes were discussed. The effects of membrane polarity and pore diameter on the gasoline desulfurization were investigated by comparing the PV results of different UiO-66 series membranes. It has been found that UiO-66-NH2 membranes derived from tetragonal zirconia layer exhibit outstanding performance in pervaporation desulfurization, showing a flux of 2.16 kg m−2 h−1 and an enrichment factor of 17.86 along with high reproducibility for n-octane containing 1312 ppm thiophene as model gasoline at 40 °C. Besides, the influences of operation temperature and feed concentration on the PV performance of UiO-66-NH2 membranes were also investigated in detail. More importantly, due to the zirconia modification layer acting as strong anchoring sites between the membrane and substrate, UiO-66-NH2 membranes demonstrate excellent stability in model gasoline, thus showing the potential for the application in practical gasoline desulfurization.