Application

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

Isopropyl alcohol


Background Art

  Isopropyl alcohol is an important chemical product and raw material, primarily used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, plastics, fragrance, and coatings industries. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is widely employed as a solvent or extractant. Isopropyl alcohol can form an azeotrope with water (containing 12.6 wt% water), and conventional production and recovery processes rely on azeotropic distillation and extraction, which are energy-intensive and generate significant pollution. Molecular sieve adsorption for dehydration is impractical for industrial use due to the excessively high water content. Pervaporation technology, by contrast, can substantially enhance separation efficiency while reducing process energy consumption.

Technical Comparison

  Comparison of Different Separation Processes

Production process

Energy consumption

Equipment costs

Operational complexity

Benzene azeotropic distillation

High

High

Complex

Membrane dehydration

Low

Low

Simple

Extractive distillation

High

Relatively high

Complex

 

 Isopropyl alcohol dehydration