Separation Tasks

Thermal separation of liquid mixtures by means of shortpath or thinfilm distillation typically falls into one of three categories

Stripping of High-Volatiles

The main fraction with a (relatively) high boiling point contains the value product. High volatile components with lower boiling points should be removed. Examples might be:

• removal of solvents with boiling temperatures above ~ 150 °C at ambient pressure
• separation of monomers from polymers or pre-polymers
• separation of free fatty acids from di- or tri-glycerides

Distillation of the Main Fraction

In this scenario the main fraction is purified from higher boiling contaminants via distillation. Candidates would be substances with molar masses above 180 g/mol or substances with boiling temperatures above 200 °C at 1 mbar.

Fractionation of Multi-Component Mixtures

This is a more sophisticated szenario which requires a multi-stage distillation process. Apparently, the number of stages is one less than the number of components to be separated.

Typical candidates of this szenario include:

• separation of mono-, di-, tri- and Oligomers
• separation of mixtures of homologous substances, e.g.,
  • Paraffin Waxes
  • Fatty Acids
  • Fatty Acid Esters