Abstract After the biomass pretreatment and fermentation processes, the purification step constitutes a major task in bioethanol production processes. The use of membranes provides an interesting choice to achieve high-purity bioethanol. Membrane separation processes are generally characterized by low energy requirements, but a high capital investment. Some major design aspects for membrane processes and their application to the ethanol dehydration problem are addressed in this work. The analysis includes pervaporation and vapor permeation methods, and considers using two types of membranes, A-type zeolite and amorphous silica membrane. The results identify the best combination of membrane separation method and type of membrane needed for bioethanol purification.

中文翻译：

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使用膜分离工艺分析乙醇脱水

摘要 在生物质预处理和发酵过程之后，纯化步骤构成了生物乙醇生产过程中的主要任务。膜的使用为获得高纯度生物乙醇提供了一个有趣的选择。膜分离工艺的特点通常是能源需求低，但资本投资高。这项工作解决了膜工艺的一些主要设计方面及其在乙醇脱水问题中的应用。分析包括渗透蒸发和蒸汽渗透方法，并考虑使用两种类型的膜，A型沸石和无定形二氧化硅膜。结果确定了膜分离方法和生物乙醇纯化所需膜类型的最佳组合。