High-flux recovery of aromatic compounds from tobacco extract using an MCM-41/PDMS hybrid membrane

Recovery of valuable aromatic compounds from tobacco waste is important, and efficient separation methods remain highly demanding. This work proposed a hybrid PDMS membrane for high flux aromatic compounds recovery. MCM-41, a silicone-based molecular sieve, was selected to fabricate the membrane to improve the pervaporation performance. The prepared MCM-41/PDMS membrane was investigated in model aqueous solution at different concentrations and temperatures. The optimal pervaporation fluxes of the MCM-41/PDMS membrane achieved 0.95 g/(m 2 ·h), 0.51 g/(m 2 ·h), and 0.26 g/(m 2 ·h) for 2-phenylethanol, β-ionone, and dihydroactinidiolide, respectively, exhibiting superior performance to the PDMS membrane. Moreover, the long-term stability of the hybrid membrane was examined with practical tobacco extract. The average fluxes were 41.20 mg/(m 2 ·h), 20.57 mg/(m 2 ·h), and 9.73 mg/(m 2 ·h), respectively. The hybrid PDMS membrane in this study, with high permeate flux and selectivity, is promising for recovery of aromatic compounds particularly from tobacco waste.