Output details

Simultaneous optimal synthesis, design and operation of batch and continuous hybrid separation processes

Distillation is the most commonly used technique for separating liquid mixtures within the chemical industries despite being an energy and capital-intensive process. Many mixtures commonly encountered in the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries are, however, difficult to separate by normal distillation. Pervaporation has been hailed as an alternative and recently, hybrid processes have been proposed where the shortcomings of one method are outweighed by the benefits of the other, allowing for significant energy consumption and cost reduction. This work was the first to compare these three alternatives and to clearly demonstrate the considerable savings that are feasible with hybrid operation.