论文部分内容阅读
While bio-fermentation of crude glycerol to 1,3-propanediol is an economically beneficial recourse to utilizing industrial waste glycerol,the separation of 1,3 propanediol from the aqueous fermentation broths amounts to >60% of the total production cost.Conventional purification of the 1,3 propanediol from the dilute fermentation broth results in a large energy consumption.Membrane separation processes offer an energy efficient alternative for upgrading the concentration from such dilute mixtures.Novel membrane structures based on blends of Poly(HEMA) and Poly(Styrene-co-Allyl alcohol) were shown to achieve separation factors of 1.5 - 2 with good concomitant flux.An SLM based on Oleyl alcohol dissolved and partly reacted into a Poly(Siloxane) structure was shown to have a separation factor of 4.8.Functionalized Siloxanes have been developed with reacted in pendant groups that achieve separation factors over 10.The possible integration of these structures with the fermentation and other separation processes could result in large energy savings over current processes.