(383at) Unusual Transport of Phenolic Compounds in Polymer Membranes

Bio-oil, the product of fast pyrolysis of biomass, can be further processed to a value-added energy source, such as biodiesel. Membrane-based separation has been proposed as a potential separation technology for this sustainable feed. As a model system, we explore a separation of a mixture of water, methanol, and guaiacol via a polymer membrane. We observe that the flux of the components in these systems are highly coupled, leading to unusual observations in the membrane separation performance.