Green Car Congress is
reporting a technology developed by Mitsui that uses a zeolite-based membrane to separate water and ethanol. This is an important technology as it provides a low-energy way of separating water from ethanol in bioethanol manufacturing facilities. The device works by taking in a water/ethanol mixture. One exit is covered by the zeolite membrane and filters the smaller water molecules. The ethanol is released on the other side of the membrane chamber. Below is a diagram:
Simply put, this is a dialysis machine with a new membrane in it. It's one of those applications that make you say "why didn't I think of that?" The good thing is that this is a standard process that utilizes a novel membrane technology. It's an easy technology to commercialize and deploy and means it could have an immediate impact on the industry.
