Ethanol processing with vapour separation membranes
US8128826B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 27, 2008 |
| Grant date | Mar 6, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 7, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S203/08
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A process for separating vapors, for example for separating water from ethanol, uses a gas separation membrane unit. Permeate from the membrane unit is compressed and may be used for example as heating steam for distillation. The membrane unit may have two or more stages. Permeate from a stage may be condensed and used for example as fermentation make up water, compressed and fed to the permeate from an upstream stage or heating steam, or fed to another membrane stage for further dewatering. The gas separation membrane unit may be used to remove water from a fermentation broth that has been partially dewatered, for example by one or more of a distillation column or molecular sieve.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.