ABSTRACT
This chapter presents pervaporation as a membrane separation process for the selective removal and recovery of dilute compounds from a bulk liquid. First, the principle of pervaporation will be described, followed by a discussion of its main transport phenomena and a mathematical description of ideal conditions. Pervaporation is, at first sight, not a complicated process. It is, however, rather versatile. This is on the one hand an advantage, because pervaporation can be adapted and integrated in process lines with considerable flexibility. On the other hand, this versatility has led to an abundance of different individual applications that cannot readily be compared. Recently, attempts have been made in the literature to search for empirical rules on
pervaporation in individual situations. It is, however, the authors’ opinion that instead of empirical rules, a concise but comprehensive understanding of the scientific background of pervaporation fosters the creativity necessary for a flexible and appropriate process design. The essentials of this background will be presented for ideal conditions in the first section, “The Principles of Pervaporation,” in conjunction with a discussion of the most relevant nonideal phenomena.
