In this work, pervaporation is applied for the dehydration of industrial cyclohexane, used as a solvent and reaction medium in the manufacture of synthetic rubbers. Working with initial concentrations of water in cyclohexane within the range of 0.090-0.110 kg m(-3), an experimental study was performed (i) in the laboratory, using a radial cell with a membrane area of 0.0178 m(2); and (ii) in a pilot plant located at the industrial site, with a plate-and-frame membrane module and a total membrane area of 3 m(2). In both cases, the same pervaporation membrane, with a preferential flux of water, was used. The mass transfer coefficient was determined, together with its dependence on the hydrodynamic regime. The higher hydraulic resistance of the plate-and-frame module generated a pressure decrease that limited the feed velocity, thus increasing the mass transfer resistance of the pervaporation process in comparison with the bench-scale system. (c) 2005 Society of Chemical Industry.