A review on the separation of benzene/cyclohexane mixtures by pervaporation processes

Separation of benzene (Bz) and cyclohexane (Chx) is one of the most challen ging processes in the chemical industry. On account of the only 0.6 degrees C difference in volatilities of the two components, conventional distillat ion processes are not practical. Azeotropic distillation and extractive dis tillation, on the other hand, although feasible and in use in many industri es, are accompanied by high capital and operating costs and also are comple x processes in nature. Membrane pervaporation (PV) is a viable alternative to the conventional techniques both from economical and technical points of view. While extractive distillation/PV hybrid has attracted industrial att ention, progresses in PV separation of Bz/Chx suggest that this technique c an handle a greater share in the process. In this paper, an extensive review is presented on the properties, producti on, conventional and alternative separation processes of benzene and cycloh exane. Special emphasis is given to the performance of membrane PV processe s. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.