AROMATICS SEPARATION PROCESS BY EMULSION LIQUID MEMBRANE WITH PACKED-COLUMN

The separation of a binary model mixture of benzene and hexane by an e mulsion liquid membrane process was calculated with a correlation of t he emulsion liquid membrane permeation coefficient. The process consis ted of a liquid membrane permeator, a countercurrent packed column wit h a reflux, and three distillators for the recovery of solvent from th e extract and raffinate phases, and for enriching benzene in the perme ate. A high yield of high purity benzene, and a high purity hexane cou ld be obtained with the permeator and the two solvent recovery distill ators. The size of the permeator and the energy required for the separ ation were reduced by introducing the benzene enriching distillator. T he energy requirement for solvent recovery from the extract phase occu pied the largest part of the entire process. The energies for solvent recovery from the raffinate and for enriching benzene were relatively lower. Recycling of a stream in the process and the appropriate means of reflux to the permeator allowed the size of the permeator and the e nergy requirement for the process to be decreased.