H₂and olefin/paraffin separation with porous materials

Abstract

In addition, the production of bulk chemicals is also quite energy intensive. The main reactions involved in the production of bulk chemicals either rely on irreversible reactions or suffer from formation of side products. While catalysis engineers work on the development of better catalysts and combining them with better reactors to intensify and increase the selectivity of these reactions [15-22], efficiency of current processes is still highly dependent on separation processes and their improvement. According to Dutch records of 2007, 40% of the energy use in the (petro)chemical industry is spent in the separation of products, which in turn means more than 100 PJ annum-1 [23]. According to another report presented to the U.S. Department of Energy in 2005, 22% of total industrial energy consumption by chemical and petroleum industries was due to separation processes [24].