摘要 |
A method of removing water from fluid mixtures of the water with other compounds uses selective vapor permeation or pervaporation of the water, as the case may be, from the mixture through a membrane having an amorphous perfluoropolymer selectively permeable layer. The novel process can be applied in such exemplary embodiments as (a) removing water from mixtures of compounds that have relative volatility of about 1-1.1 or that form azeotropic mixtures with water, (b) the dehydration of hydrocarbon oil such as hydraulic fluid to concentrations of water less than about 50 ppm, (c) removing water byproduct of reversible chemical equilibrium reactions to favor high conversion of reactants to desirable products, (d) drying ethanol to less than 0.5 wt. % water as can be used in fuel for internal combustion engines, and (e) controlling the water content to optimum concentration in enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions carried out in organic media. |