Polymers are unarguably the most broadly used membrane materials for molecular separations and beyond. Motivated by the commercial success of membrane‐based desalination and permanent gas separations, glassy polymer membranes are increasingly being studied for hydrocarbon separations. They represent a class of challenging yet economically impactful bulk separations extensively practiced in the refining and petrochemical industry. This review discusses recent developments in membrane‐based hydrocarbon separations using glassy polymer membranes relying on the sorption‐diffusion mechanism. Hydrocarbon separations by both diffusion‐selective and sorption‐selective glassy polymer membranes are considered. Opinions on the likelihoods of large‐scale implementation are provided for selected hydrocarbon pairs. Finally, a discussion of the challenges and outlook of glassy polymer membrane‐based hydrocarbon separations is presented.
Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher.
Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.
-
Abstract