ADVANTAGES OF USING MOLECULAR-SIEVES

Ethanol has several uses not just as a commercial alcoholic beverage, but in the industry as well. Its miscibility makes it an excellent choice as a solvent for a large number of processes as well as products use ethanol as its base. Using the right kind of materials to achieve this level of purity is essential, since any ingress of water can prove to be problematic.

USE OF MOLECULAR SIEVES FOR DEHYDRATION

Several methods of dehydration are practiced in the petrochemical industry during the ethanol manufacturing process. Several of these processes actually emphasize on vaporizing the ethanol and then distilling it. However, it poses several challenges on process control and purity control, thus making it a cumbersome task.

Using molecular sieves for ethanol dehydration offers significant advantages compared to other methods like variations of fractional distillation that also are used by the industry. Among other points, the level of impurity that is left behind is the lowest compared to other methods. Moreover, there is no requirement for repeating the cycle when compared to the use of other vapor based methods. Also, the Molecular Sieve Adsorbent can be easily regenerated without any significant losses, unlike silica or alumina gels, which lose a lot of material by weight upon reactivation. All these factors make this choice highly economical as an option, and has consequently gained traction with the industry at large.

The ethanol dehydration process involves a vapour form of ethanol being passed through a bed of molecular sieves. Such sieves as 3a or 5a are commonly seen to be used, especially in the petrochemical industry where ethanol is synthesized from ethylene, and water tends to be a residual product of the process. The active sieve is placed in a transfer zone bed, and the entire process from inlet to outlet of vaporized ethanol mix is usually automated. It is properties and features such as these that make molecular sieves ideal for ethanol dehydration, while keeping its natural properties intact.

 

With the use of ethanol for commercial use as solvent and base for several products, its purity is of paramount importance. With several options available in the market, there is a need to utilize the most cost-effective ethanol dehydration process for achieving the desired low levels of impurity. Molecular Sieve for Ethanol Dehydration is a popular alternative for ethanol drying due to the several advantages it offers, and is by far the most cost effective, making it the very popular today.