New membranes strip 99.8% of heavy hydrocarbons from crude oil to save refining energy
SMRTR summary
Researchers have developed ultrathin polymer membranes called PLIMs that can replace the energy-intensive boiling process used to refine crude oil. By injecting a stabilizing agent during manufacturing, the membranes resist swelling in harsh hydrocarbons, successfully removing 99.8% of heavy hydrocarbons and cutting sulfur compounds by 93%. Built using standard industrial manufacturing methods, the membranes ran continuously for 30 days without losing performance.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Interesting Engineering.
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