Selective aqueous extraction of organics coupled with trapping by membrane separation
AssigneeBend Research, Inc.
InventorsPaul van Eikeren, Daniel J. Brose, Roderick J. Ray
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improvement to processes for the selective extractation of organic solutes from organic solvents by water-based extractants is disclosed, the improvement comprising coupling various membrane separation processes with the organic extraction process, the membrane separation process being utilized to continuously recycle the water-based extractant and at the same time selectively remove or concentrate organic solute from the water-based extractant.
Claims51
In an organic/aqueous extraction process for the extraction of an organic solute from an organic solvent or solvent mixture with an aqueous-based extractant, the improvement comprising continuously recycling said aqueous-based extractant through a membrane separation process that selectively removes said organic solute from said aqueous-based extractant, said membrane separation process being selected from at least one of reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, membrane distillation, pervaporation, membrane contactor and supported-liquid membrane.
A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising water and essential oil with an ultrafiltration membrane, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said ultrafiltration membrane and combining said permeate with the retentates from a membrane contactor and from a reverse osmosis membrane to form a combined feed to said reverse osmosis membrane, contacting said combined feed with said reverse osmosis membrane, recycling an oxygenates-poor aqueous permeate from said reverse osmosis membrane to said feed stream, supplying a portion of said retentate from said reverse osmosis membrane as a membrane contactor feed to said membrane contactor, contacting said membrane contactor feed with said membrane contactor, and recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said membrane contactor.
A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising an essential oil with one side of a first membrane contactor, contacting the other side of said first membrane contactor with water, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said first membrane contactor and combining said permeate with the retentates from a second membrane contactor and a reverse osmosis membrane to form a combined feed to said reverse osmosis membrane, contacting said combined feed with said reverse osmosis membrane, recycling an oxygenates-poor aqueous permeate from said reverse osmosis membrane to said feed stream, supplying a portion of said retentate from said reverse osmosis membrane as a feed to said second membrane contactor, contacting said second membrane contactor feed with said second membrane contactor, and recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said second membrane contactor.
A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising an essential oil with one side of a membrane contactor, contacting the other side of said membrane contactor with an aqueous strip stream, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said membrane contactor, contacting said oxygenates-rich permeate with a pervaporation membrane, recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said pervaporation membrane, and continuously recycling the aqueous retentate of said pervaporation membrane as said aqueous strip stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.