A Bibliometric Survey of Paraffin/Olefin Separation Using Membranes

Bibliometric studies allow to collect, organize and process information that can be used to guide the development of research and innovation and to provide basis for decision-making. Paraffin/olefin separations constitute an important industrial issue because cryogenic separation methods are frequently needed in industrial sites and are very expensive. As a consequence, the use of membrane separation processes has been extensively encouraged and has become an attractive alternative for commercial separation processes, as this may lead to reduction of production costs, equipment size, energy consumption and waste generation. For these reasons, a bibliometric survey of paraffin/olefin membrane separation processes is carried out in the present study in order to evaluate the maturity of the technology for this specific application. Although different studies have proposed the use of distinct alternatives for olefin/paraffin separations, the present work makes clear that consensus has yet to be reached among researchers and technicians regarding the specific membranes and operation conditions that will make these processes scalable for large-scale commercial applications.