Facilitated Transport: Separation Without Distillation
Permylene™ replaces heat with chemistry — a membrane that recognizes olefins by their double bond, not by their boiling point.
The Four-Step Cycle
Permylene™ is a patented chitosan-based hydrogel membrane. Inside it, mobile silver ions act as selective carriers. They bond to the double bond that only olefin molecules carry, absorb into the membrane matrix, diffuse across it, and desorb, releasing the olefin on the low-pressure side. Paraffins have no double bond to grab onto: they're never picked up, and stay on the feed side as retentate.
The whole cycle runs on a pressure differential: high-pressure feed gas in, low-pressure olefin-rich product out. No heating, no cooling, no phase change. Think of it as a gatekeeper working at the molecular scale: selective by chemical structure, not by size or weight.
Near-Ambient Temperature
No boiling, no condensing — separation happens at process temperature.
Electricity-Driven
Powered by pressure and electricity, not steam or combustion.
Selective by Chemistry
Silver ions bond only to the olefin's double bond. Paraffins are excluded by molecular structure, not filtered by size.
Facilitated Transport vs. Distillation vs. Conventional Membrane Separation
| Criterion | Permylene™ (Facilitated Transport) | Distillation | Conventional Membrane Separation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy input | ✓ Electricity only | ✕ Heat-intensive, thermally driven | ~ Varies by technology |
| Operating temperature | ✓ Ambient | ✕ High-temperature, high-pressure thermal cycling | ~ Typically ambient |
| Capacity growth | ✓ Modular — add units | ✕ New or larger column | ~ Modular |
| Purity achievable | ✓ Up to 99.5% | ~ High, but energy cost scales with purity | ~ Track record still limited |
| Commercial track record | ~ Two completed field demonstrations + one full-scale plant built | ✓ Decades of proven operation | ~ Emerging, limited public data |
Ready to talk about your separation process?
Industry partners and licensees — reach the team by email.