{"id":515521,"date":"2026-06-24T04:31:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/515521\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T04:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:31:13","slug":"new-membrane-technology-could-transform-hydrocarbon-processing-by-slashing-energy-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/515521\/","title":{"rendered":"New membrane technology could transform hydrocarbon processing by slashing energy use"},"content":{"rendered":"

A team of international researchers have developed a new class of ultrathin polymer membranes<\/a> that can rapidly and selectively separate complex hydrocarbon mixtures, potentially transforming how crude oil<\/a> is refined and refinery streams are processed, significantly reducing the energy required for one of the world\u2019s most energy\u2011intensive industrial processes.<\/p>\n

The study, Ultrathin polymer membranes with locked intrinsic microporosity for hydrocarbon fractionation, has created a new way to form the separating layers in polymer membranes for molecular separations. The breakthrough derives from the way that the crosslinking agent for the polymer film is added to the polymer during membrane fabrication. It results in a scalable membrane technology capable of separating complex organic mixtures into valuable fractions with unprecedented efficiency. The membranes combine extremely high molecular selectivity with fast liquid transport \u2014 a combination that has long eluded scientists and engineers working in this field.<\/p>\n

Re\u2011thinking a century\u2011old process<\/p>\n

Conventional crude oil refining relies on thermal distillation, a process that consumes vast amounts of energy and accounts for around one percent of global energy use. Although membrane technologies have long promised a far more energy efficient alternative, their industrial uptake has been limited by fundamental materials challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cMembranes can, in principle, do the same job as distillation or evaporation, using far less energy,\u201d explains lead researcher, Andrew Livingston, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Vice President Research and Innovation at Queen Mary University of London, and CEO of Exactmer. \u201cThe problem has been finding materials that are both fast and selective when exposed to real hydrocarbon mixtures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Locking pores at the nanoscale<\/p>\n

The breakthrough reported in this study lies in a new way of manufacturing polymer membranes so that their nanoscale pores are \u201clocked\u201d in place during formation.<\/p>\n

The researchers focused on polymers of intrinsic microporosity, materials known for their sponge\u2011like structure containing sub\u2011nanometre pores. While these pores are ideal for separating molecules by size and type, the polymers normally swell when exposed to hydrocarbons, causing the pores to expand and lose selectivity.<\/p>\n

To overcome this, the team developed an in\u2011situ crosslinking approach that stabilises the polymer structure while the membrane is being formed. This process locks the pores in their optimal configuration, producing what the researchers call polymers of locked intrinsic microporosity (PLIMs).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key was stabilising the structure before the polymer had a chance to swell,\u201d explains Dr Zhiwei Jiang, who led the research as Head of Membrane Research at Exactmer, and who is now Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. \u201cThis preserves the tiny pores that make molecular separation possible, while still allowing hydrocarbons to flow through very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

To\u00a0probe\u00a0the molecular origins of locking, the UCL team, led by Dr Foglia, used quasi-elastic neutron scattering at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, the UK’s national pulsed neutron\u00a0facility\u00a0and an unrivalled tool for studying polymer chain dynamics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Exceptional performance in crude oil and refinery streams<\/p>\n

When tested with synthetic crude oil, PLIM membranes showed up to ten\u2011fold higher permeance than existing state\u2011of\u2011the\u2011art membranes while maintaining high selectivity. The membranes were able to discriminate effectively between hydrocarbon molecules that differ only slightly in size.<\/p>\n

In tests using real Arabian Extra Light crude oil, the membranes:<\/p>\n


\nRemoved 99.8% of hydrocarbons heavier than 15 carbon atoms
\nReduced sulphur\u2011containing compounds by 93%, a critical step in protecting downstream catalysts and equipment <\/p>\n

The membranes also performed particularly well with refinery streams such as virgin naphtha. In these tests, they efficiently separated light hydrocarbons (C4\u2013C6), suitable for fuel upgrading, from heavier naphtha fractions used to produce plastics and chemicals \u2014 all at permeances comparable to commercial desalination membranes.<\/p>\n

Designed for scale\u2011up<\/p>\n

Crucially, the researchers demonstrated that the membranes can be manufactured at scale. Using roll\u2011to\u2011roll processing, they produced sheets over a metre wide and integrated them into standard spiral\u2011wound membrane modules commonly used in industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese membranes aren\u2019t just laboratory curiosities,\u201d said Dr Adam Oxley, first author of the research paper and now Deputy Vice President Membranes at Exactmer. \u201cThey can be produced using established manufacturing techniques and fitted into existing industrial module designs. At Exactmer, we are building these new techniques into membranes used for high value separations in organic solvents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long\u2011term testing showed stable performance over 30 days of continuous operation, indicating strong potential for real industrial deployment.<\/p>\n

A more sustainable pathway for refining<\/p>\n

While the global energy system is transitioning towards lower\u2011carbon alternatives, demand remains for fuels, chemicals, solvents, and materials derived from hydrocarbons. Improving the efficiency of existing separation processes is therefore essential in reducing emissions during the transition period.<\/p>\n

By enabling membrane\u2011based separations that are both fast and selective, the PLIM technology could allow industries from oil refining to pharmaceuticals to:<\/p>\n


\nCut energy consumption dramatically
\nReduce carbon emissions
\nOperate with smaller, more flexible processing units
\nIntegrate selective desulphurisation earlier in the refining process <\/p>\n

The researchers note that the same pore\u2011locking concept could be extended to other liquid separation challenges, including chemical manufacturing, solvent recovery, and emerging bio\u2011based feedstocks.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/p>\n

The team is now exploring greener solvents for membrane manufacture and investigating how PLIM membranes could be deployed in targeted hybrid processes alongside existing refinery infrastructure and the manufacture of high value pharmaceuticals in organic solvents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis work shows that membrane\u2011based molecular separation in organic liquids is no longer just a theoretical possibility,\u201d said Professor Livingston. \u201cWith the right materials design, it can be fast, selective, scalable \u2014 and ready for industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Original publication<\/p>\n

Adam Oxley, Chunchun Ye, Seok Ju Han, Guoke Zhao, Yihao Guo, Xin Shi, Jie Liu, Keenan Smith, Mona Sarter, Lakshmeesha Upadhyaya, Shanshan Hong, Vasilios G. Samaras, Qin Qian, Yanan Liu, Gary S. Nichol, Yiqun Liu, Suzana P. Nunes, Fabrizia Foglia, Jianwen Jiang, Anqi Wang, Neil B. McKeown, Andrew G. Livingston, Zhiwei Jiang; “Ultrathin polymer membranes with locked intrinsic microporosity for hydrocarbon fractionation”; Science, Volume 392<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A team of international researchers have developed a new class of ultrathin polymer membranes that can rapidly and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":515522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,60,80],"class_list":["post-515521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/515522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}