Vapour permeation
IBMEM - Ing.-Büro für Membrantechnik

Max-Planck-Str.9, 61381 Friedrichsdorf (Frankfurt/Main), Germany

Tel. +49 (0)6172 137-132 - E-Mail: info@ibmem.com
Pervaporation
international Deutsch Français

other pressure driven
membrane separations
(micro-, ultrafiltration,..)
Principles and
Applications of
PERVAPORATION
Membrane Screening
Test and Pilotes
Indutrial
Plants
Contact



PRINCIPLES

Pervaporation is a method for the separation of mixtures of liquids by partial vaporization through a non-porous membrane.

Pervaporation differs from other membrane processes as a change in phase occurs across the membrane:
the transported species move from a liquid phase on one side of the membrane to a vapour phase on the other.

The separation principle governing pervaporation differs significantly from distillation - which depends on differences in vapour liquid equilibrium relationships to affect a separation. Pervaporation is used in situations where distillation is impossible, difficult or uneconomic.

The elucidation of the selective transport and ‘evaporation’ through a membrane is attributed to Kahlenberg in 1906. He observed transport through a rubber membrane. However, it was Kober who first coined the term pervaporation to describe the transport of water through a collodion membrane in 1917.


PROCESS ENGINEERING


step-by-step selection of a pervaporation process
step-by-step selection of a pervaporation process

Pervaporation (liquid feed)?
or Vapour permeation (vapour feed)?

Continuous or batch process ?



the hybrid Distillation-Pervaporation processes
How to combine pervaporation and distillation

combining Distillation and Pervaporation:



APPLICATIONS

Pervaporation and vapour permeation are used for an effective and economic separation of mixtures of substances
with small difference in boiling point and azeotropic mixtures.

- Ethanol dehydration
- Solvent dehydration
- continuous water removal from condensation reactions
- continuous methanol removal from transesterification reactions