Analysis of Ethanol Dehydration using Membrane Separation Processes

After the biomass pretreatment and fermentation processes, the purification step constitutes a major task in bioethanol production processes. The use of membranes provides an interesting choice to achieve high-purity bioethanol. Membrane separation processes are generally characterized by low energy requirements, but a high capital investment. Some major design aspects for membrane processes and their application to the ethanol dehydration problem are addressed in this work. The analysis includes pervaporation and vapor permeation methods, and considers using two types of membranes, A-type zeolite and amorphous silica membrane. The results identify the best combination of membrane separation method and type of membrane needed for bioethanol purification.