Ethanol
Background Art
Ethanol is extensively used in the energy, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Due to the presence of a minimum azeotrope in the ethanol–water system, conventional distillation can produce ethanol with a maximum concentration of only 95.57%; further separation to obtain anhydrous ethanol requires alternative methods. Traditional azeotropic distillation and extractive distillation have been scaled up into highly mechanized processes for producing anhydrous alcohol; however, these methods suffer from high energy consumption, and improper operation of entrainers or extractants can lead to environmental pollution.
Technical Comparison
| Project |
Unit price (RMB) |
Ethylene glycol extractive distillation |
Inorganic pervaporation membrane |
||
| Unit consumption |
Unit consumption cost / yuan |
Unit consumption |
Unit consumption cost / yuan |
||
| Extractant/(t·t -1 ) |
8000 |
0.33*10-3 |
2.64 |
-- |
-- |
| Electricity (kWh·t -1 ) |
1.0 |
7.9 |
7.9 |
19.9 |
19.9 |
| Steam/(t·t -1 ) |
200 |
1.2 |
276.0 |
0.48 |
96.0 |
| Water/(m 3 ·t -1 ) |
0.2 |
107.0 |
21.4 |
38.0 |
7.6 |
| Total |
-- |
-- |
307.9 |
-- |
123.5 |
Characteristics of Membrane Technology
★ High efficiency and energy savings: Compared with conventional distillation and adsorption technologies, it can achieve energy savings of 30% to over 50%.
★ High recovery rate—no less than 97%; permeate recovery can exceed 99%.
★ Environmentally friendly—no third component needs to be introduced, and the permeate can be recovered, treated, and reused;
★ Simple operation: the production process is controlled via a PLC, with real-time monitoring provided by an HMI, resulting in a high degree of automation.
★ Compact footprint, easy installation and maintenance; low equipment height, modular design for simple installation and upkeep, with no civil engineering requirements.
★ Superior membrane performance: Compared with organic membranes, it offers higher flux, a higher separation factor, excellent resistance to organic solvents, no swelling, and a longer service life.

|
|
GFT |
Jiutian Hi-Tech |
| Processing capacity |
1200 kg/h |
|
| Product purity |
99.2% |
99.6% |
| Water content of the penetrant |
90% |
98% |
| Stability |
Frequent membrane rupture |
Stable operation |
