Integrated membrane operations in the ethylene oxide production

Petrochemical industry, highly energy and capital intensive, might significantly benefit from the implementation of membrane operations for meeting stringent environmental standards, controlling production cost and final product's quality. Membrane units have been proved effective for improving the efficiency of different industrial productions. Ethylene oxide (EO), an important petrochemical intermediate, is produced by selective catalytic oxidation of ethylene, a valuable hydrocarbon feedstock. In this study, the EO manufacturing cycle is redesigned by integrating different membrane operations. Both the conversion and separation sections of the plant are investigated, considering the use of membrane reactors (MRs) for the separate feeding of the oxidant, membrane contactors (MCs) for the absorption of EO and carbon dioxide, and gas separation (GS) membrane units for the hydrocarbon recovery before their being recycled to the reactor. Design considerations are provided, and the benefits coming from each membrane operation, as well as from their synergic integration, are outlined with particular attention to environmental impact, raw materials and energy consumption.