 Solution

Let the torsion submodule of the module over a ring $M$ beThis is a submodule. Indeed, if $rm=0$ and $sn=0$ with $r,s\ne 0$, then $rs\ne 0$ because the scalar ring is an integral domain, and $rs(m+n)=0$; scalar multiples and additive inverses are handled similarly.

Take the quotient module $M_0=M/T(M)$ and let $q:M\to M_0$ be the quotient R-module homomorphism. It is torsion-free: if $0\ne r\in R$ and $r(m+T(M))=0$, then $rm\in T(M)$, so $srm=0$ for some $s\ne 0$. Since $sr\ne 0$, this puts $m$ in $T(M)$ and therefore $m+T(M)=0$.

Now let $N$ be torsion-free and let $f:M\to N$ be an $R$-module homomorphism. If $m\in T(M)$ and $rm=0$ for $r\ne 0$, then $rf(m)=f(rm)=0$, so torsion-freeness gives $f(m)=0$. Hence $T(M)\subseteq \ker f$, and the universal property of a quotient module gives a unique homomorphismwith $\boxed{f=f_0\circ q}$. Thus $M/T(M)$ is the maximal torsion-free quotient of $M$.