Investigation of reinforced braided hollow fiber membrane containing silver-based butanediol for methyl linolenate separation：Better penetration rate, higher stability.

Supported liquid membranes show great potential in the efficient separation of methyl linolenate from its analogues, but there still remain some critical challenges to further this technology towards larger application because of the slow transmembrane transport and poor stability of liquid membrane. Herein, 1,2-butanediol (1,2-BDO) with good solubility for AgBF 4 substitutes for ionic liquid as membrane solvent, and fabric reinforced hollow fiber composite membrane (PR-HFM) with higher mechanical strength and interfacial area replaces plate membrane as base support. A new supported liquid membrane has been prepared by coating the 1,2-BDO solution dissolving AgBF 4 on the surface of PR-HFM and embedding the solution into the micro-pores of PR-HFM by repeated pull with vacuum and push with N 2. The as-prepared liquid membranes exhibit good separation performance and stability. It can be safely and steadily used to treat the feed with fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) concentration lower than 150 mg/mL at the velocity of less than 0.22 m/s. Within 24 h continuous operation, methyl linolenate (C18-3) can pass steadily through the liquid membrane at the mean permeability larger than 3.13 × 10−7 m/s, the C18-3 product with the purity larger than 82% and the selectivity of C18-3 over C18-2 (S C18-3/C18-2) larger than 6.63 can be obtained steadily. [Display omitted] • A new supported liquid membrane was used to purify successfully methyl linolenate. • The as-prepared liquid membrane has good permeability rate and stability. • 1,2-butanediol was used as membrane solvent to improve the permeability rate. • Fabric reinforced hollow membrane was chosen as support to improve the stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]