(35d) Membrane Contactor/ionic Liquid for Ethanol Recovery

Ionic liquids (IL) have gained large interest during the last decade due to their significant environmental benefits. They have been used in a variety of processes including catalytic reactions, separations, electrochemistry, and biocatalysis.

Membrane contactors represent an emerging technology where membrane acts as a contacting medium for selective extraction of one component from one phase on one side of membrane into another phase which is located on the other side of the membrane. Here the membrane does not act as a selective barrier. However, it provides a barrier so that two phases don't mix together. Plus, membrane contactor can provide a large contacting surface area.

The experiment described in this paper tested the effectiveness of two ionic liquids for low energy recovery of ethanol from fermentation broth. We also used process model to estimate the total energy consumption.