Analysis of countercurrent membrane vapor extraction of a dilute aqueous biosolute. Issue 9 (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, David E.; Cerretani, Colin; Tellez, Rodrigo; Scheer, Agnes P.; Sciamanna, Steve; Bryan, Paul F.; Radke, Clayton J.; Prausnitz, John M.
• Is Part Of: AIChE journal. Volume 61:Issue 9(2015:Sep.)
• Page Start: 2795
• Page End: 2809
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Chemical engineering -- Periodicals; Génie chimique -- Périodiques; 660.28
• DOI: 10.1002/aic.14892
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0001-1541

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Removal of dilute bioproducts from fermenter broths is a major challenge both to avoid microbe inhibition and to recover solutes economically without water loss. We analyze a proposed new process, membrane vapor extraction (MVE), where semi‐volatile dilute aqueous solutes vaporize at the upstream side of an omniphobic, microporous membrane and dissolve into a nonpolar solvent highly favorable to the solutes but not to water. A new membrane‐process analysis is outlined and applied to the countercurrent recovery of 2 wt % aqueous butanol by a prototype solvent (dodecane) at 40°C. Thermodynamic phase equilibria, pioneered by the Prausnitz school, are crucial to MVE process design. Over 90% of the feed butanol is recovered with essentially no water loss giving a separation factor of over 1000. Energy requirements in MVE are low. Our design calculations demonstrate that MVE is a viable separation process to remove and recover dilute aqueous biosolutes. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers <italic>AIChE J</italic>, 61: 2795–2809, 2015</p> </abstract>