BACKGROUND: Pervaporation employing ethanol-permselective silicalite membranes as an alternative to distillation is a promising approach for refining low-concentration bioethanol solutions. However, to make the separation process practicable, it is extremely important to avoid the problems caused by the adsorption of succinate on the membrane during the separation process. In this work, the pervaporation of an ethanol fermentation broth without succinate was investigated, as well as the influence of several fermentation broth nutrient components. RESULTS: Candida krusei IA-1 produces an extremely low level of succinate. The decrease in permeate ethanol concentration through a silicone rubber-coated silicalite membrane during the separation of low-succinate C. krusei IA-1 fermentation broth was significantly improved when compared with that obtained using Saccharomyces cerevisiae broth. By treating the fermentation broth with activated carbon, bioethanol was concentrated as efficiently as with binary mixtures of ethanol/water. The total flux was improved upto 56% of that obtained from the separation of binary mixtures, compared with 43% before the addition of activated carbon. Nutrients such as peptone, yeast extract and corn steep liquor had a negative effect on pervaporation, but this response was distinct from that caused by succinate. CONCLUSION: For consistent separation of bioethanol from C. krusei IA-1 fermentation broth by pervaporation, it is useful to treat the low nutrient broth with activated carbon. To further improve pervaporation performance, it will be necessary to suppress the accumulation of glycerol. (C) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry