New Membrane for Industrial Chemical Separation Processes

A research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology and ExxonMobil has demonstrated a new carbon-based molecular sieve membrane that could dramatically reduce the energy required to separate a class of hydrocarbon molecules known as alkyl aromatics. The new material is based on polymer hollow fibers treated to retain their structure - and pore sizes - as they are converted to carbon through pyrolysis. The carbon membranes are then used in a new 'organic solvent reverse osmosis' (OSRO) process in which pressure is applied to effect the separation without requiring a phase change in the chemical mixture. The hollow carbon fibers, bundled together into modules, can separate molecules whose sizes differ by a fraction of a nanometer while providing processing rates superior to those of existing molecular sieve zeolites. Because it uses a commercial polymer precursor, the researchers believe the new membrane has potential for commercialization and integration into industrial chemical separation processes.