(159c) Model Development of Pervaporation for Separation of Complex Non-Ideal Mixtures

Given rising energy costs and environmental constraints, energy conservation remains a top priority for many industries. To increase the profitability of industries and reduce their environmental impact, many methods have been developed to analyze the energy systems of new and existing plants. Pinch analysis is the most commonly used among the various process integration methods used to minimize excessive thermal energy consumption in different industrial processes. The pinch design technology has made it possible to design new plants with optimal energy and capital costs and improve the performance of existing methods. The technique is used worldwide to target various processes' hot and cold energy needs. Based on the pinch analysis, retrofitting the heat exchanger network is one of the promising options for reducing energy consumption, resulting in increased economic and environmental sustainability.

During the work, a process for separating ethanol-water and n-propanol-water mixtures was designed using distillation and hydrophilic pervaporation methods. This method proved effective for the efficient and economical separation of the two azeotropic mixtures. In the case of separating the ethanol-water mixture, it was possible to recover both water and ethanol with a purity of 99% by mass. Even when separating the n-propanol-water mixture, it was possible to recover a product of 99% by weight. However, much larger membranes should have been used, and thus, introducing a second distillation column proved to be more efficient from an economical and quality point of view. Optimization of the heat exchanger system of the planned process is possible based on the conducted pinch analysis and should even be implemented, as it reduces energy consumption and thus results in economic and environmental sustainability.