Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan, Vol.37, No.10, 1271-1273, 2004
Separation of aromatic hydrocarbons from gasoline vapor by vapor permeation through triethylene glycol liquid membrane
The permeation of gasoline vapor was studied using triethylene glycol (TEG) liquid membranes, which were supported on the surface of a microporous hydrophobic membrane. The vapor permeation experiments were conducted using a flat-type membrane cell under the conditions of atmospheric pressure on the feed side and a vacuum on the permeate side. A hydrocarbon mixed vapor was fed into the membrane cell by a carrier gas. The feed vapor consisted of C5-C8 hydrocarbons, in which 72-87% was aromatic. The vapor that permeated through the TEG liquid membrane was 98-99% aromatic. The TEG liquid membrane showed preferential permeation for aromatic components in the gasoline vapor. The selectivities for C6 and C7 aromatic hydrocarbons over paraffin hydrocarbons were 47 and 15, respectively.