US2022401880A1PendingUtilityA1
Systems and methods for concentrating fluid components via distillation and membrane filtration
Est. expirySep 11, 2038(~12.2 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Brent Keller
B01D 2311/04B01D 2311/08B01D 61/025B01D 2311/06B01D 2311/2669B01D 3/36B01D 61/364B01D 71/024B01D 61/3641B01D 71/0211B01D 2311/25
74
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Claims
Abstract
Embodiments described herein relate generally to systems, apparatus, and methods for using graphene oxide-containing membranes for separation and concentration processes. In some embodiments, a fluid component having a first concentration in a fluid mixture can be concentrated using a first distillation process to a second concentration. In some embodiments, the fluid component can be concentrated from the second concentration to a third concentration using a graphene oxide-containing membrane. In some embodiments, the fluid component can be concentrated from the third concentration to a fourth concentration using a second distillation process. In some embodiments, the fluid component can have an azeotropic concentration between the second concentration and the third concentration.
Claims
exact text as granted — not AI-modified1 - 57 . (canceled)
58 . A method of concentrating a first fluid component in a first fluid mixture, the first fluid mixture comprising the first fluid component at a first concentration and a second fluid component, the method comprising:
distilling the first fluid mixture through a first distillation column to produce a second fluid mixture including the first fluid component at a second concentration, the second concentration being greater than the first concentration and at least 90 mol %, and feeding the second fluid mixture through a membrane system comprising two graphene oxide-containing membranes to produce a third fluid mixture, the third fluid mixture including the first fluid component at a third concentration, the third concentration greater than the second concentration.
59 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the third fluid mixture is produced on a permeate side of each membrane.
60 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the third concentration is at least 95 mol %.
61 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the feeding step produces a fourth fluid mixture on a concentrate side of each membrane, the fourth fluid mixture including the first fluid component at a fourth concentration, the fourth concentration less than the second concentration.
62 . The method of claim 61 , further comprising distilling the fourth fluid mixture through the first distillation column.
63 . The method of claim 58 , wherein each graphene oxide-containing membrane is subjected to a pumping pressure of 200 psi to 1000 psi.
64 . The method of claim 62 , wherein each graphene oxide-containing membrane has a rejection rate for the second fluid component of not more than r1 or r2, whichever is less, as calculated by:
r
1
=
1
-
(
1
-
γ
c
χ
c
γ
p
,
final
exp
(
-
RT
P
max
V
_
)
)
/
(
1
-
γ
c
χ
c
)
,
and
(
Equation
V
)
r
2
=
1
-
(
1
-
γ
f
χ
f
γ
p
,
initial
exp
(
-
RT
P
max
V
_
)
)
/
(
1
-
γ
f
χ
f
)
,
(
Equation
VI
)
wherein:
c denotes a concentrate side of each membrane;
p denotes the permeate side of each membrane;
V is the partial molar volume of the first fluid component on the permeate side of each membrane;
γ p, initial is the activity coefficient of the first fluid component on the permeate side when the feed (i.e., the second fluid mixture) first enters the membrane system;
γ p, final is the activity coefficient of the first fluid component on the permeate side when the concentrate (i.e., the fourth fluid mixture) exits the membrane system;
γ c is the activity coefficient of the first fluid component in the fourth fluid mixture;
γ f is the activity coefficient of the first fluid component in the second fluid mixture;
χ c is the molar fraction of the first fluid component in the fourth fluid mixture;
χ f is the molar fraction of the first fluid component in the second fluid mixture;
R is the ideal gas constant;
T is temperature; and
P max is the maximum practical osmotic pressure.
65 . The method of claim 58 , wherein each graphene oxide-containing membrane includes a plurality of graphene oxide sheets.
66 . The method of claim 65 , wherein each of the graphene oxide sheets is coupled to an adjacent graphene oxide sheet via a chemical linker.
67 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the membrane system further includes a support substrate in contact with each graphene oxide-containing membrane.
68 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the two graphene oxide-containing membranes are substantially parallel to each other.
69 . The method of claim 58 , wherein each graphene oxide-containing membrane is in the form of a tube having a hollow core, the first fluid mixture being fed through the hollow core.
70 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the fluid mixture includes methanol and water, methanol being the first fluid component.
71 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the first fluid mixture comprises ethylene benzene, diethylbenzene, and benzene, ethylene benzene being the first fluid component.
72 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the first fluid mixture comprises styrene, ethyl benzene, benzene, and toluene, styrene being the first fluid component.
73 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the first fluid mixture comprises cumene hydroperoxide, cumene, phenol, and an organic acid, cumene hydroperoxide being the first fluid component.
74 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the first fluid mixture comprises cumene hydroperoxide, cumene, phenol, and an organic acid, cumene hydroperoxide being the first fluid component.
75 . The method of claim 58 , wherein the first fluid mixture comprises acetic acid and water, acetic acid being the first fluid component.
76 . A method of breaking an azeotrope comprising a first fluid component and a second fluid component, the first fluid component being propanol and the second fluid component being water, the azeotrope being characterized by an azeotropic concentration of the first fluid component, the method comprising:
feeding a first fluid mixture through a membrane system comprising two graphene oxide-containing membranes, the two graphene oxide-containing membranes defining a fluid feed channel, the first fluid mixture including the first fluid component at a first concentration and the second fluid component, wherein the first concentration is about 0.1 mol % to about 10 mol % less than the azeotropic concentration, whereby at least a portion of the first fluid mixture moves from the fluid feed channel through the two graphene oxide-containing membranes to produce a second fluid mixture having a second concentration of the first fluid component greater than the azeotropic concentration.
77 . The method of claim 76 , wherein the second concentration is about 0.1 mol % to about 10 mol % greater than the azeotropic concentration.
78 . The method of claim 76 , wherein each graphene oxide-containing membrane is subjected to a pumping pressure of 200 psi to 1,000 psi.
79 . The method of claim 76 , wherein:
the first fluid component preferentially passes through each graphene oxide-containing membrane as compared to the second fluid component; and the second fluid mixture is produced on a permeate side of each graphene oxide-containing membrane.
80 . The method of claim 76 , wherein each of the graphene oxide-containing membranes includes a plurality of graphene oxide sheets.
81 . The method of claim 80 , wherein each of the graphene oxide sheets is coupled to an adjacent graphene oxide sheet via a chemical linker.
82 . The method of claim 76 , wherein the membrane system further includes a support substrate in contact with each graphene oxide-containing membrane.
83 . The method of claim 82 , wherein the support substrate includes a material selected from polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, polyethylene oxide, polyethersulfone, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polymethylmethacrylate, polydimethylsiloxane, polyester, cellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, polyacrylonitrile, glass fiber, quartz, alumina, silver, polycarbonate, nylon, Kevlar or other aramid, or polyether ether ketone.
84 . The method of claim 76 , wherein each graphene oxide-containing membrane is in the form of a tube having a hollow core, the first fluid mixture being fed through the hollow core.
85 . The method of claim 76 , wherein each of the graphene oxide-containing membranes has a rejection rate for the first fluid component of not more than r1 or r2, whichever is less, as calculated by:
r
1
=
1
-
(
1
-
γ
c
χ
c
γ
p
,
final
exp
(
-
RT
P
max
V
_
)
)
/
(
1
-
γ
c
χ
c
)
,
and
(
Equation
I
)
r
2
=
1
-
(
1
-
γ
f
χ
f
γ
p
,
initial
exp
(
-
RT
P
max
V
_
)
)
/
(
1
-
γ
f
χ
f
)
,
(
Equation
II
)
wherein:
c denotes the concentrate side of each membrane;
p denotes a permeate side of each membrane;
V is the partial molar volume of the second fluid component on the permeate side of each membrane;
γ p, initial is the activity coefficient of the second fluid component on the permeate side when the feed (i.e., the first fluid mixture) first enters the membrane system;
γ p, final is the activity coefficient of the second fluid component on the permeate side when the concentrate (i.e., the second fluid mixture) exits the membrane system;
γ c is the activity coefficient of the second fluid component in the second fluid mixture;
γ f is the activity coefficient of the second fluid component in the first fluid mixture;
χ c is the molar fraction of the second fluid component in the second fluid mixture;
χ f is the molar fraction of the second fluid component in the first fluid mixture;
R is the ideal gas constant;
T is temperature; and
P max is the maximum practical osmotic pressure.Cited by (0)
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