An apparatus for separating dimethyl carbonate using pervaporation includes: an atmospheric distillation column and a high pressure distillation column distilling a mixture containing dimethyl carbonate and methanol and separating dimethyl carbonate from the mixture; and a pervaporation membrane module disposed between the atmospheric distillation column and the high pressure distillation column and allowing for permeation of the methanol to separate the methanol from the mixture, thereby reducing heat consumption and a process cost as compared to the case of only using an existing pressure swing distillation method.

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for dewatering alcoholic solutions via forward osmosis.

A filtering device is for obtaining a chemical liquid by purifying a liquid to be purified, and has an inlet portion, an outlet portion, a filter A, at least one filter B different from the filter A, and a flow path which includes the filter A and the filter B arranged in series between the inlet portion and the outlet portion and extends from the inlet portion to the outlet portion, in which the filter A includes at least one kind of porous membrane selected from the group consisting of a first porous membrane having a porous base material made of polytetrafluoroethylene and a non-crosslinked coating which is formed to cover the porous base material and contains a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer and a second porous membrane containing polytetrafluoroethylene blended with a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer.

The present disclosure provides high-grade ethanol production systems and methods that increase energy efficiency as compared to typical systems and methods by minimizing undesired acetal formation. The provided ethanol production method may include a low boilers removal distillation column and/or a stripper column constructed to simultaneously remove at least a portion of the acetaldehyde and at least a portion of the acetal from a feed stream in the presence of water. In some aspects, a low boilers removal process may be followed by a water removal process, which may be followed by a high boilers removal process. Acidity (e.g., carbon dioxide) may also be removed from a feed stream prior to or during the low boilers removal process. By minimizing acetal production, the provided method minimizes the amount of energy that is required to remove acetal when producing high-grade ethanol.

There is described a method for producing 3-hydroxypropanal, the method comprising: culturing an Acetobacter lovaniensis bacterium in a growth medium containing phosphate at a level which is more than 1 g/litre and nitrate at a level which is more than 0.1 g/litre, wherein culturing of the bacterium produces the 3-hydroxypropanal. The 3-hydroxypropanal can be separated from the growth medium or, when the microorganism has converted some or all of the 3-hydroxypropanal to 3-hydroxypropionic acid and/or a 3-hydroxypropionate ester, it may be separated as 3-hydroxypropionic acid or a 3-hydroxypropionate ester. The separated product can be converted into other chemicals such as an ester of 3-hydroxypropionic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, 3-hydroxypropionate salts (including ammonium, sodium and calcium 3-hydroxypropionate), acrylic acid, acrylates, acrylamide, acrylonitrile, acrolein and 1,3 propanediol.

The present disclosure provides processes and systems for heat integration in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a distillation unit bottom stream, a vaporous overhead stream, and a fusel oil stream. Molecular sieve units are regenerated by vacuum or a combination of vacuum and optionally a portion of the product stream to form one or more regenerate streams. A feed tank is configured to receive at least one selected from a condensed portion of the regenerate streams and a portion of a vaporous depressure stream, to form a feed stream. The energy contained in the depressure vapor is recovered by the depressure vapor contacting the feed tank and heating up at least one stream forwarded into the feed tank.

Improvements in biological conversion processes and associated apparatuses are disclosed for the generation of useful end products such as ethanol, through metabolic pathways of C1-fixing bacteria that utilize, as a nutrient, a C1-carbon source from a C1-containing substrate such as an industrial waste gas. Particular aspects of the disclosure relate to the downstream recovery of ethanol and/or isopropanol from bleed and permeate streams and more particularly to performing such recovery with improved efficiency that can advantageously reduce capital (e.g., equipment) and/or operating (e.g., utility) costs.

The hybrid desalination system is a desalination system for seawater which uses both filtering and treatment from a reverse osmosis filter system as well as evaporative distillation for the production of potable water. The hybrid desalination system includes a recovery system, which may be a reverse osmosis system, a forward osmosis system, or a combination thereof, for at least partially desalinating a volume of saltwater and outputting a treated fluid. A boiler is in fluid communication with the recovery system for receiving the treated fluid and producing pure water by evaporative desalination. The boiler includes an internal heating coil for passing a heated working fluid therethrough. A collection tank is in communication with to the boiler for receiving the pure water. At least one solar parabolic trough is in fluid communication with the internal heating coil of the boiler for heating the heated working fluid.

A cooling device for cooling a fluid comprises a vertical cooling tower, into an upper area of which the fluid to be cooled is fed and from a lower area of which the cooled fluid is discharged. The fluid in the cooling tower is cooled by a cooling gas flowing from the bottom to the top. At least one installation in which the fluid is conducted is provided in the gas space of the cooling tower through which cooling gas flows. Each installation comprises at least one fluid channel that is separated at least in part from the gas space of the cooling tower by a fluid-tight membrane wall that is permeable to vapor on both sides.

A process for separating carbon dioxide from a fluid containing carbon dioxide, NO.sub.2, and at least one of oxygen, argon, and nitrogen comprises the steps of separating at least part of the fluid into a carbon dioxide enriched stream, a carbon dioxide depleted stream comprising CO.sub.2 and at least one of oxygen, argon, and nitrogen and a NO.sub.2 enriched stream and recycling said NO.sub.2 enriched stream upstream of the separation step.