FURI | Spring 2018

Fouling performance of ZIF-71/PDMS membrane

The purpose of this research is to work on the free-standing zeolitic imidazolate framework-71 (ZIF-71)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposite membranes and provide a technical solution to improve the yield of bio-fermentation to produce biofuels. 40 wt% ZIF-71/PDMS membrane showed an impressive performance on the ideal lab-made solutions with high permeability and selectivity by pervaporation. However, the membrane was not experienced with the bio-fermentation broth and the membrane’s fouling has not been studied. The primary challenge in membrane processes is decreased performance due to membrane fouling. Future work will determine the fouling performance of ZIF-71/PDMS membranes in a bio-fermentation solution.