Pervaporative separation of acetone from water at a concentration range of 0-100wt% were studied using sodium alginate (NaAlg)/Poly vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) membranes. Membranes were prepared in different ratios (w/w) (100/0, 95/5, 90/10, 85/15, 80/20, 75/25) of NaAlg/PVP by crosslinking with CaCl2. Experimental studies were carried out to investigate the effects of the operating temperature, feed composition, and membrane thickness on the pervaporation performance. The optimum operating temperature, membrane thickness, NaAlg/PVP ratio, and feed composition were determined as 40 degrees C, 70 mu m, 75/25 (w/w), and 20wt% acetone, respectively. The effect of PVP content in the membranes was investigated on pervaporation performance. The permeation rate was increased with increasing the PVP content; however, there was no appreciable change about the separation factor. The permeation rate and separation factor values were found to be in the range of 0.304-1.023kg/m2h and 16-57, respectively. In addition, the sorption-diffusion properties of the alginate membranes were investigated at the operating temperature and the feed composition. It was found that the sorption selectivity was the dominant factor for the separation of acetone/water mixtures.