Separation of organic compounds from gaseous mixtures by vapor permeation

Gas separation technology is a mature topic, while the vapor permeation (VP) process still needs some development. It can be presumed that VP will become extensively applied in the future, thanks to its economic and ecological advantages. Despite single vapor permeability chiefly being reported, less information is available on the binary VOC/N-2 mixture, while a multicomponent mixture is examined only rarely. Some of the newly developed membrane materials offer significant potential. Nevertheless, the long-term stability of membranes is still uncertain and more pilot plan tests are required. Our review compares the advantages and disadvantages of commonly tested membranes as well as newly developed membrane materials. Furthermore, interesting results are highlighted to encourage further research and the future needs and prospects of VP. Both academic and industrial approaches are discussed, with an emphasis on the new trends since 2000.