PAN membrane cuts crude oil distillation energy use by 31.6%

Researchers at KAIST and Georgia Tech demonstrated a bare porous polyacrylonitrile membrane that separates crude oil fractions at room temperature, as heavy hydrocarbons deposit on pore walls and narrow openings below 2 nm. Simulations show pretreating crude with the membrane before distillation cuts energy use by 31.6%, CO2 emissions by 37.6% and operating costs by 36%.

• Membrane permeates crude oil about 23 times faster than prior state-of-the-art membranes
• It stayed stable for 28 consecutive days of operation
• Crude distillation consumes roughly 1,100 TWh of energy annually worldwide
• In Korea's refining sector it could cut about 10 million metric tons of CO2 per year