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Polymer membrane separates hydrocarbons, offering alternative to distillation
(www.chemistryworld.com)
this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2025
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I'm not as confident. Refining columns work reliably for decades requiring just a couple trays being replaced every now and then. RO membranes are generally fickle, need a lot of babying and require complete replacement every couple years.
There's also energy integration opportunities in a refinery to use the "waste" heat to preheat feeds and of course the feeds precool the hot top stream. Being a highly commoditized market pushes companies to drive three bottom line down.
I think we'll only see meaningful impact by phasing out of fossil fuels, not making their manufacture incrementally more efficient.
I'm aware some energy is recycled, and I do think we (humankind as a whole) need to phase fossil fuels out. But even then, we'll still need petrochemicals - and I'm hoping this sort of membrane eventually makes them cheaper, when used instead or alongside fractioning columns.
Do we really need petrochemicals, though? Or do we like the cheap products made from them? Because humanity went by just fine without them until a century ago.
Not that fine, though. Quality of life came a long way.
Not because of petrochemicals. Fertilizers, agriculture mechanization, and medicine are the key factors. Plus we could do without all the microplastics and PFAS on my blood.