7/30/2019 Innovative Process Design Using Membrane Contactors
for the Separation of Olefin
1/1
INNOVATIVE PROCESS DESIGN USING MEMBRANE CONTACTORS FOR
THE SEPARATION OF OLEFIN/PARAFFIN MIXTURES
M. Fallanza, A. Ortiz, D. Gorri, I. Ortiz*
Advanced Separation Processes Group Dep. Chemical Engineering
& Inorganic Chemistry;University of Cantabria, Av Castros s/n
39005 SantanderSpain; Phone: 34 942 201585,
Fax: 34 942 201591; * contact e-mail: [email protected]
Scientific Topic: Membrane separation
Light olefins such as ethylene and propylene are essential
petrochemical feedstocks that play an essential role in
many chemical syntheses and industrial processes. Thus, the
separation of olefins from paraffins is a task of
primary importance in the petrochemical industry. Among a number
of different alternatives, reactive absorption
with ionic liquid-silver complexes presents a great potential to
intensify the conventional separation process
based on cryogenic distillation. The separation process is based
on the capacity of olefins to react with silver ions
via -bound complex formation mechanism. This reaction can be
easily reverted by temperature or pressureswings. Room temperature
ionic liquids (RTILs) were selected as reaction media because in
addition to their
well-known and remarkable properties, they offer high
olefin-capacity, more affinity for the olefinic compounds
compared to saturated hydrocarbons, resistance to chemical and
process conditions and they also offer stability
to the solubilised metal cation.In order to implement this
separation process, membrane contactors have beenselected to make
the contact between Ag
+-RTIL reaction medium and propylene-propane gas mixtures,
thus
allowing high propylene fluxes in a modular, small, robust, safe
and a cheaper way.
In previous works, the solvent potential of the ionic liquid for
the olefin/paraffin separation were assessed, and
the viability on the use of gas-liquid membrane contactors to
carry out the separation was proved by our research
group [1-5].
In this work we develop a methodology to intensify the
separation process based on the use of a transverse flow
membrane contactor implemented in an innovative system design
using an automated control apparatus. This
system allows to operate with absorption-desorption cycling
tests, integrating the use of membrane contactors
and the major strengths of the pressure swing adsorption
technique. By this way one module replaced the two
devices required in conventional absorption processes and at the
same time it is possible to operate in short time
cycles with high absorption and desorption rates. Moreover, the
mass transfer phenomena in the system were
analysed and it was observed that the improved fluid-dynamics of
the transverse flow membrane contactor leads
to an overall mass transfer coefficient 17.6 times higher than
that reported previously using a parallel-flow
contactor. Thus, the reactive absorption of propylene using
ionic liquids-silver complexes in the transverse flow
membrane contactor has provided promising results, showing a
process intensification by a factor of 17.4 in
terms of mass transfer per specific area compared to a
conventional stirred tank reactor system.
[1] A. Ortiz, A. Ruiz, D. Gorri, and I. Ortiz. Room temperature
ionic liquid with silver salt as efficient reaction media
forpropylene/propane separation: Absorption equilibrium. Separation
and Purification Technology, 63 (2008) 311.
[2] A. Ortiz, L.M. Galn Sanchez, D. Gorri, A.B. De Haan, and I.
Ortiz. Reactive ionic liquid media for the separation of
propylene/propane gaseous mixtures. Industrial and Engineering
Chemistry Research, 49 (2010) 7227.
[3] A. Ortiz, L.M. Galn, D. Gorri, A.B. De Haan, and I. Ortiz.
Kinetics of reactive absorption of propylene in RTIL-Ag+
media. Separation and Purification Technology, 73 (2010)
106.
[4] A. Ortiz, D. Gorri, A. Irabien, and I. Ortiz. Separation of
propylene/propane mixtures using Ag +-RTIL solutions.
Evaluation and comparison of the performance of gas-liquid
contactors. Journal of Membrane Science, 360 (2010) 130.
[5] M. Fallanza., A. Ortiz, D. Gorri, I. Ortiz. Effect of liquid
flow on the separation of propylene/propane mixtures with a
gas/liquid membrane contactor using Ag+-RTIL solutions.
Desalination and Water Treatment, 27 (2011) 123.
Acknowledgements: This research has been funded by the Spanish
Ministry of Science and Innovation(Projects CTQ2008-00690/PPQ and
CTM2006-00317).
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
