Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Membrane Process for Solvent Reclamation and Reuse
EPA Contract Number: EPD12008Title: Membrane Process for Solvent Reclamation and Reuse
Investigators: Huang, Yu
Small Business: Membrane Technology and Research Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012
Project Amount: $80,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2012) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Innovation in Manufacturing
Description:
Many commercial hydrophilic solvents form azeotropes or have vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) pinch points with water, making solvent recovery by conventional distillation difficult. Solvents that form azeotropes or have pinch points include isopropyl alcohol (IPA), acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), ethyl acetate, ethanol, butanol and tetrahydrofuran. Molecular sieve drying is possible, but requires intensive energy consumption for vaporization of the solvent/water mixture, and is generally not economical for situations where the water concentration is greater than 5 wt%.
This project focused on the recovery and reuse of IPA solvent, which is widely used as a drying agent in the chemical, semiconductor, and electronics industries, as well as in the production of precision metal parts. When the water content in the IPA solution reaches about 10-30 wt%, the IPA solution must be replaced. The spent IPA is then disposed of as hazardous waste. Virgin, dry IPA costs $10/gal, and the cost of spent IPA disposal is about $20/gal, so that the total cost of IPA to the user is around $30/gal. As a result, a considerable economic and environmental driving force exists to recover and reuse spent IPA.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Novel Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) TR-IPA-2 composite membranes with high water permeance (up to 3,000 gpu) and high water/IPA selectivity (up to 1,000) have been reproducibly made using the MTR commercial scale coating machines. A bench-scale spiral-wound module containing 0.86 m2 membrane area was prepared successfully from each type of membrane. Parametric tests conducted with this module showed good performance at IPA recovery process operating conditions.
An analysis of the costs for IPA dehydration using membrane separation systems was performed using the Phase I laboratory data. These membrane systems are cost-competitive with conventional IPA distillation processes.
Conclusions:
The Phase I experimental work and the technical and economic analysis demonstrated the feasibility of using a membrane separation system for low-cost IPA recovery and reuse. The key to moving this technology toward commercialization is to demonstrate the membrane process in a field test. The focus of the Phase II work will be to demonstrate the IPA recovery at a processing plant, using the proposed membrane approach.
Commercialization:
Currently existing IPA recovery units have captured only a fraction of the total potential market of at least several hundred units. The size of each unit will be in the range of 10,000 to 50,000 gal treated IPA/yr. At an average cost of $200,000 per unit, the total potential market is about $150 million. With the advantages of this proposed technology, MTR expects to establish a strong competitive position in offering its technology to potential customers. MTR expects to sell several units a year after the first sale, increasing gradually from 10-20 units per year in the first few years to 30-40 units per year or more in subsequent years. This represents about a 10% share of the potential market in the first five years, increasing to 25% after ten years. The rate of adoption will, of course, depend on market conditions in the consuming industries and regulatory developments related to treatment of IPA waste streams, as well as the final performance and economics of the proposed process.
Supplemental Keywords:
manufacturing, reclamation, solvent, membrane, distillation, dehydration, solvent recovery, isopropyl alcohol, IPAThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.