Membrane Extraction of Reaction Product From Ionic Liquid Reaction Process

In this paper, a membrane reactor is studied for continuous extraction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from catalytic conversion of biomass using ionic liquid. The membrane is made of the silicalite zeolite material supported a thin, porous metal sheet, which provides chemical and thermal stability to conduct extraction under reaction conditions. The silicalite zeolite provides selective adsorption of HMF from an ionic liquid reaction mixture so that HMF is transported across the membrane into a volatile organic solvent. The HMF is recovered by evaporation of the solvent from the extract.