OPTIMAL-DESIGN OF PERVAPORATION SYSTEMS FOR WASTE REDUCTION

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a systematic approach to the design of pervaporation networks for waste minimization applications. The objective of this design strategy is to synthesize a pervaporatio n network consisting of pervaporation modules, booster pumps, vacuum p umps, heaters, coolers and condensers that can separate a waste stream containing some undesirable component into a lean (retentate) stream which is essentially free from the undesirable compound, and a rich (p ermeate stream) in which the undesirable compound is concentrated. A s tructural representation of the problem is first introduced that is ri ch enough to embed all potential configurations of the system. The pro blem is then formulated as an optimization program to minimize the tot al annualized cost of the entire network subject to environmental, tec hnical and economic objectives. The solution of this program yields th e optimal network configuration, the number and sizes of pervaporation modules, booster pumps, vacuum pumps, heaters, coolers and condensers that are required to perform the specified separation task. Finally, the applicability of the design procedure is demonstrated via two case studies on the separation of chlorinated hydrocarbons from wastewater streams.