Potential of Membrane Operations in Redesigning Industrial Processes. The Ethylene Oxide Manufacture

In the development of environmental friendly and highly efficient energy processes, membrane operations for both reaction and separation purposes are becoming a realistic alternative to conventional technologies due to an excellent flexibility to tolerate fluctuations in feed conditions, operational simplicity and reliability, absence of moving parts, low footprint and weight.

Ethylene oxide is a widely used petrochemical intermediate and its production is a representative example of selective catalytic oxidation of a valuable hydrocarbon feedstock (ethylene). The present trend of increasing production volumes, raw material costs and plant size for ethylene oxide manufacture justifies a continuous effort for improving production efficiency, according to a logic of sustainable growth and process intensification.