Synthesis, reproducibility, characterization, pervaporation and technical feasibility of preferentially b-oriented mordenite membranes for dehydration of acetic acid solution

► High-performance mordenite membranes have been synthesized. ► Flux reached up to 11 kg m−2 h−1 at 130 °C in a feed mixture of water (50 wt.%)/acetic acid (50 wt.%) by pervaporation. ► High reproducibility was confirmed in mordenite synthesis. ► Preferred orientation of b-axis was confirmed with XRD observation. ► The crystal growth mechanism of evolutional selection or geometric selection was verified with SEM, TEM and XRD observations.