Separations: Perspective of a process developer/designer

Abstract

We are not going to focus on any specific separation process. Instead, we will discuss some of the emerging trends and their effects on separation processes. The forces impacting separation processes are the same as those influencing the chemical process industries in general: intense global competition, stringent environmental regulations, increasing raw material and energy costs, customer demand for better quality control, and the need for safe and flexible operating plants. In today's competitive climate, the developer of a separation process not only has to come up with a better solution at a cost that is lower than the prevailing cost, but the time available to accomplish these goals continues to shrink. This better, cheaper, faster trend also affects the manner in which separation processes are chosen and designed by practicing engineers. Taken together, the forces mentioned above are leading to: (1) Utilization of multiple separation technologies for certain applications; (2) Innovations at small scale; (3) Increased use of integrated separation and hybrid processes; (4) Improvements in the energy-efficiency of separation processes; (5) Creation of separation methods for ultrahigh purity chemicals; (6) Development of separation processes for the management of waste streams. Each of these elements is discussed.