Vapour permeation study of water and ethanol through crosslinked chitosan and alginate membranes

A vapour permeation of water and ethanol through homogenous chitosan and alginate membranes was investigated. The influence of the polymer matrix and crosslinking agents, and measurement protocol on the transport properties were discussed. The conducted experiments showed the greater separation factor, better stability and resistant to solvents for chemically crosslinked membranes. On the other hand, stronger association of the matrix, than the physical, caused decrease of vapour fluxes.