@article { author = {Koutsonikolas, Dimitris and Kaldis, Sotiris and Lappas, Aggelos}, title = {Semi-pilot Tests of Ethanol Dehydration using Commercial Ceramic Pervaporation Membranes}, journal = {Journal of Membrane Science and Research}, volume = {7}, number = {4}, pages = {268-272}, year = {2021}, publisher = {FIMTEC & MPRL}, issn = {2476-5406}, eissn = {2476-5406}, doi = {10.22079/jmsr.2021.130702.1401}, abstract = {Most research efforts about pervaporation in the literature have focused on membrane synthesis, trying to improve the  membrane properties (flux and selectivity). However, industrial applications of the pervaporation technology could  become attractive if the current available membranes proved to have sufficient and stable performance in order to be  integrated in the toolbox of process engineers, as a complementary separation process. In this study, the ethanol  dehydration performance of commercial hybrid silica membranes (HybSi®) was assessed in a semi-pilot pervaporation  unit from a process-based perspective. The aim of the study is to reveal the high potential of the process and to create a  benchmark for future studies in the field. The experimental results revealed that the proposed pervaporation process can efficiently break the ethanol/water azeotrope, allowing the production of high purity ethanol. The overall assessment of the obtained pilot results showed that the proposed process is quite efficient for attracting the industrial interest. }, keywords = {Hybrid silica membranes,Pervaporation,Ethanol dehydration,HybSi®}, url = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_241870.html}, eprint = {https://www.msrjournal.com/article_241870_1f97f00163a7322d8c398749490c56a8.pdf} }