No replies to this topic

[SlimChem]

Hello everyone,

I am currently working on a process where I need to separate ammonia (NH₃) from a liquid stream mainly composed of methanol and water, and I am exploring membrane-based separation technologies as a potential solution.

The stream comes from a downstream chemical process and contains dissolved ammonia at low concentrations (<9%). My objective is to selectively remove or recover ammonia while minimizing methanol losses and avoiding energy-intensive operations such as distillation or stripping, if possible.

At this stage, I am evaluating different membrane options, such as:

• Gas separation or pervaporation membranes

• Membrane contactors (e.g. using acid absorption on the permeate side)

• Ion-exchange or facilitated transport membranes

• Any experience with polymeric vs. inorganic membranes for NH₃ separation in alcohol–water systems

I would be very interested in hearing about:

• Practical experiences separating ammonia from mixed solvent systems

• Membrane material compatibility with methanol

• Typical operating conditions (pH, temperature, pressure) that significantly affect ammonia selectivity and flux

• Potential fouling or degradation issues

• Whether membrane processes are economically viable at industrial scale for this application

Any references, case studies, or suggestions for alternative approaches are also very welcome.

Thank you in advance for your insights.