Separation processes, such as distillation and evaporation, are central to the chemical, pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, but they are also energy intensive, expensive and polluting. Each year, crude oil refineries consume about one percent of the total energy used worldwide, and some refineries can even release up to 20 to 35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.

“Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions is a step forward in addressing climate change,” says lead author Stefan Chisca, a research scientist at KAUST. Membranes, with their low carbon footprint and ability to fit in small spaces, offer an attractive alternative to these heat-based processes and can reduce the CO2 emissions of crude oil refineries.

Read more at KAUST Discovery.