Uncoated Membrane Separates Crude Oil at Room Temperature, KAIST-Led Team Reports

A research team led by Professor Dong-Yeun Koh at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, working with Professor Ryan Lively's group at Georgia Tech, has demonstrated a membrane that separates crude oil at room temperature. The findings were published in Nature.

Instead of the costly thin coatings usually required for molecular separation, the team used a bare membrane made of porous polyacrylonitrile, an inexpensive polymer already common in industrial filtration. As crude oil flowed through, heavier hydrocarbon molecules collected on the pore walls, narrowing the openings to less than 2 nanometers. That buildup, normally written off as performance-killing fouling, formed the channels that let lighter fractions such as naphtha, gasoline and kerosene pass while holding back heavier components.

The uncoated membrane achieved permeation rates about 23 times higher than previous leading crude oil separation membranes and ran stably for 28 consecutive days. Process simulations projected energy savings of 31.6%, carbon dioxide reductions of 37.6%, cooling water savings of 20.7% and operating cost cuts of 36%. The membrane could be installed ahead of existing distillation equipment rather than replacing it.

Koh said the study reveals a principle in which a membrane interacts with a complex mixture and spontaneously forms its own separation channels, and credited real crude oil supplied by HD Hyundai Oilbank with allowing validation under industrially relevant conditions. Next steps include scaling up membrane production and confirming long-term reliability.

Source: Science Daily (Popular)