Application

Sales of the core product, molecular-sieve pervaporation membranes, are made to the United States and the European Union.

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.

 

 Ethanol

 

 

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

 

 Ethanol