BORSIG

MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY

MEMBRANE
MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
FOR
FOR PROCESSES
PROCESSES AND
AND ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT

A Member of KNM Group Berhad

Our Products and Services

In many areas of the chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas industries,

membrane processes are the standard process that is used either as substitution or in combination with other process steps.
BORSIG Membrane Technology offers you modern, intelligent solutions for
new and existing processes. Taking the highest safety and quality standards
into consideration, our membranes, membrane modules and membrane
systems ensure safe plant operation and enable maximum efficiency and
optimum economic efficiency in the following applications:
EMISSION CONTROL

BORSIG Vapour Recovery Unit

VOC control for tank farms, marine loading and refineries

BORSIG Carbon Retrofit Unit

Retrofit of existing active carbon based recovery system

BORSIG Vent Recovery System

Product loss reduction at retail stations

10

PRODUCT RECOVERY

12

BORSIG Ethylene Recovery Unit

Ethylene recovery for production of polyethylene (PE) and
production of ethylene oxide (EO) and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM)

13

BORSIG Propylene Recovery Unit

Propylene recovery for production of polypropylene (PP)

14

BORSIG Hydrocarbon Recovery Unit

Recovery of valuable hydrocarbon products

15

GAS CONDITIONING

16

BORSIG Fuel Gas Conditioning

Gas treatment for pipeline, gas engine and turbine applications

17

BORSIG Oxygen Enrichment

Oxygen enrichment for combustion processes

18

BORSIG Gas Separation

Bulk separation of gas stream

18

BORSIG Biogas Processing

Membranes and systems for biogas treatment

19

LIQUID SEPARATION

20

BORSIG Nanofiltration
Innovative liquid filtration and separation by solvent resistant membrane

ENGINEERING AND SERVICES

24/25

BORSIG Membrane Technology GmbH, a member of the BORSIG Group,

About BORSIG
Membrane Technology
Berlin/Germany, is an internationally successful company that offers its
customers leading innovative membrane technology solutions for a wide
range of industrial applications.
Our products membranes, membrane modules and complete membrane
systems are synonymous for high quality, competence and reliability. Our
portfolio ranges from process simulation to the delivery of complete turnkey
systems and comprehensive after-sales services.
Our staff have been developing and offering intelligent process solutions for
more than 20 years. At two sites in Gladbeck/Germany and Rheinfelden/
Germany, highly qualified teams apply state-of-the-art production and engineering methods in order to produce membranes and to develop new tailormade solutions for your processes or to optimise processes already installed.
Our services focus on controlling the entire production processes and ensuring smooth workflows and time monitoring. Quality assurance, occupational health and safety, as well as environmental protection are top priorities at
all times. Our own staff co-ordinate all work steps, such as technical specifications, purchasing, production, assembly and commissioning.
With an expertise reflected by hundreds of industry-scale membrane systems
delivered to customers all over the world, BORSIG Membrane Technology is
the professional partner for your projects.

For other products and more information please visit our corporate website:
www.borsig.de

Membrane Technology

Today membrane-based separation processes are state-of-theart and in some areas this technology has become the leading
process solution. This was made possible by the development
and continuous improvement of efficient and selective polymer
membranes that ensure the thermal, chemical and mechanical
stability necessary for industrial use. Integrating the membranes
into suitable module designs ensure reliable and safe operation.
Membranes are used in many applications in the chemical,
petrochemical and oil/gas industries where liquid or gaseous
mixtures containing hydrocarbons must be treated. This can
serve recycling, emission protection or other operational requirements.
One milestone on this way was the successful implementation
of the gaspermeation process for selectively separating organic vapours from exhaust air, especially the treatment of
vapours released during the distribution and storage of highly
volatile hydrocarbons.
Accompanied by related environmental protection legislation in
the field of gasoline, a large number of membrane systems has
been installed and successfully operated since 1988, making
membrane technology today a leading technology in the field of
industrial gasoline vapour recovery.

Membrane Technology

Based on this experience, further gaspermeation applications

were successfully implemented in recent years, for example, in
the olefin industry. Today hundreds of industry-scale plants
using BORSIG technology are successfully in operation.
Besides gaspermeation BORSIG Membrane Technology
entered a new challenging technology - the treatment of liquid
hydrocarbons streams by the innovative organophilic nanofiltration process.
For all these applications BORSIG Membrane Technology offers
membranes and module types. Together with our partners and
within the framework of R&D programmes, we are pursuing
dedicated development efforts in order to continue offering our
customers innovative and cost saving solutions in the future.
BORSIG Membrane Technology offers:

Stability tests and permeation measurements

Targeted membrane screening and development
Membranes, modules and membrane systems for gas
separation
Membranes and modules for organophilic nanofiltration
Test modules and test systems
Comprehensive process solutions

Emission Control

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), defined as a large family of

hydrocarbons with high volatility, occur naturally and are produced in
many industrial processes. In a wide range of industrial applications,
e.g. such as oil & gas industry, chemical industry and petrochemical
industry the use of VOC leads to substantial emissions mainly caused
by evaporation, displacement and purge procedures.
These emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) can cause
significant health risks, e.g. they are toxic and carcinogenic.
Additionally they are known as precursor substances for ozone gas,
causing summer smog and thereby contributing to global warming. In
order to protect man and his environment, suitable measures must
hence be taken in order to minimise the resultant emissions.
The use, storage and distribution of solvents and petroleum products
have been identified as the most significant sources for VOC
emissions. Displacement and evaporation processes affect the
release of organic vapours, which are in most cases mixed with air or
other permanent gas. Typical products are

Solvents
All kind of gasoline
Additives
Diesel, jet fuel
Alcohols
Bio fuels
Crude oil

Worldwide corresponding regulations and emissions laws are implemented to drastically minimise the VOC emissions by the reduction of
VOC consumption and by the installation of emission control systems.
Parallel the industrial operators also focus on these topics to express
their ecologically oriented production philosophy.

Emission Control

Very often the installation of emission control systems goes

along with economic benefits, e.g. when installing vapour recovery units to recover or liquefy the VOC vapours for reuse.
The recovered product value or other associated effects can
affect the profitability and return on investment (ROI). One
example is the tax-refund, which will be granted in some countries, when the vapours of already taxed products are recovered
and returned into the distribution chain.
BORSIG Membrane Technology offers emission control solutions with maximum recovery rates of up to 99.9% and thereby
enables compliance with all customary emission standards
worldwide whilst also fulfilling the highest quality, safety and
reliability demands.

BORSIG Membrane Technology's portfolio in the field of

emissions protection includes:

BORSIG Vapour Recovery Unit (VRU)

VOC control for tank farms, marine loading and refineries

BORSIG Carbon Retrofit Unit (CRU)

Retrofit of existing active carbon based recovery system

BORSIG Vent Recovery System (VRS)

Product loss reduction at retail stations

Emission Control
BORSIG Vapour Recovery Unit
VOC control for tank farms, marine loading and refineries
The Application
During storage and distribution of petroleum products large
streams of vapours are released by evaporation and displacement procedures, e.g. by truck-, railcar- or ship loading applications. According to the common emission legislations and technical guidelines these vapours must be treated preferably in
vapour recovery units. Typical products include:

Gasoline (all grades)

ETBE, MTBE, all kind of additives
Diesel, jet fuel
Intermediate products, e.g. reformate, naphtha etc.
Ethanol, methanol
Chemicals, solvents

Due to the high volatility and therefore high concentration of the

vapours a substantial product loss is affected and also corresponding strict emission limits have been defined to avoid the
emission of these harmful substances, e.g.

European Directive 94/EC/63

German TA-Luft and BImSchG
Swiss LRV
US EPA

Modern vapour recovery units must fulfil all these latest requirements as well as further options to allow a flexible and most economical operation:

Fulfil highest safety demands to process explosive vapours

Recovery of pure product vapours but also of mixed products
vapours
Considering the pre-loading of vessels and railcars
Treatment of conventional gasoline vapours
Compatibility with new gasoline specifications,
e.g. Ethanol 85, bio fuels
Highest flexibility regarding future expansion of customers
product portfolio or changing specifications

Emission Control
BORSIG Vapour Recovery Unit
The BORSIG Solution
The BORSIG Vapour Recovery Unit (VRU) is based on a combination of
absorption or condensation and membrane separation. Main equipment
are liquid ring compressor, scrubber, membrane separation stage and
vacuum pump. The BORSIG VRU process enables an effective treatment
of the vapours meeting the required emission level.
The vapour/air mixture is taken into the VRU by the liquid ring compressor and is mixed with the membrane recycle stream. The compressor
compresses the mixture to the required discharge pressure using a part
of the absorbent stream as liquid hydrocarbon seal that creates a noncontact seal ring and removes the heat of compression from the gas
stream. The compressed gas is discharged together with the ring liquid
into the absorption column, where vapours get into contact with the external absorbent flow and the liquefaction of the vapours is effected by condensation and absorption effects. The non-liquefied vapour stream leaves
the column at the top and enters the membrane separation modules.
Supported by the vacuum pump the membrane stage enables a final
cleaning of the vapour stream and the separated enriched hydrocarbon
vapours are recycled to the compressor inlet, which enables an inherent
safety principle by enrichment of the VRU inlet stream. Further vapour
cleaning can also be achieved by additional polishing stages.
BORSIG VRUs are equipped with high quality machinery and materials
only. The combination with most reliable instrumentation and latest stateof-the-art control systems makes it suitable for all applications and
products.

Advantages & Benefits

Most compact and modular design

Unique inherent safety principle
High efficiency of recovery
Customised to meet individual applications
Considering customers codes & standards
Flexible and safe for all products
Flexible for emission changes due to modular process design
Low maintenance due to machinery and material selection
(e.g. use of stainless steel)
Highest reliability due to high quality equipment and control
Self-in-taking principle enables minimised costs for customers
vapour piping

Emission Control
BORSIG Carbon Retrofit Unit
Retrofit of existing active carbon based recovery system
The Application
In existing vapour recovery units based on active carbon adsorption technology the adsorbers are designed for a
maximum mass flow of hydrocarbons before being desorbed again. Practical experience has shown that operators
are facing frequently the following difficulties:
Customer needs more capacity, e.g. due to increased transshipment
The performance of the existing unit is not efficient enough to meet the required emission level
New product vapours have negative impact on the active carbon or cannot be adsorbed and must be separated
before entering the adsorbers
Safety risks related to potential dangerous exothermic reactions shall be prevented.
The BORSIG Solution
The Carbon Retrofit Unit significantly reduces the hydrocarbon concentration and mass flow entering the adsorbers. The separated enriched stream is bypassing the adsorbers and directly entering the existing absorption
system (scrubber). This enables adsorber performance increase and debottlenecking.
The Carbon Retrofit Unit is installed upstream the existing active carbon system. The vapour stream is separated
by the membrane unit into two streams. The stream passing through the membrane material is highly enriched with
hydrocarbons and is given directly into the existing scrubber part of the carbon unit, where the hydrocarbons are
liquefied. The light stream is entering the existing adsorbers. The integration of the Carbon Retrofit Unit is easy
and cost effective with only minor modifications of the existing active-carbon-based vapour recovery unit. The retrofit system mainly consists of the membrane unit, a vacuum pump and an optional blower.
Advantages and Benefits

Tremendous reduction of hydrocarbon mass flow to the carbon beds

Increased safety of the carbon VRU due to the reduction of exothermic reactions in the carbon beds
Substantial increase of the capacity of the retrofitted system
Increased efficiency and lower emission level
Pre-assembled skid-mounted design
Easy implementation
Low maintenance
Reduced specific power consumption

10

Emission Control
BORSIG Vent Recovery System
Product loss reduction at retail stations
The Application
On car filling stations three main sources for VOC emissions are
identified:

Emissions caused by storage tank filling

Typically these emissions can be minimised by so-called
Stage I measures, by balancing the vapours released
during the filling between the underground storage tank and
the filling truck.

Emissions caused by car tank filling

The emissions caused by released vapours from car tank
can be reduced by a conventional Stage II vapour return to
the storage tank enabled by vapour suction integrated in
the filling nozzle. Sometimes a limited efficiency of vapour
collection affects the suction of air into the storage tank and
therefore leads to further evaporation of the storage product.

Storage Tank Breathing

Temperature affected breathing and vaporisation in the
storage tank leads to increased tank pressure and therefore
to vent stack emissions to the atmosphere.

11

Emission Control
BORSIG Vent Recovery System
Nowadays more and more local regulations require the control of the entire sealing of car filling stations and the reduction of corresponding leakage losses,
which can cause a product loss (wet stock loss) of up to 0,5% of the car filling
stations throughput and sometimes more. Furthermore these losses have an
impact on our environment as well as on the safety in operating car filling
stations, while hazardous products and the vapours are handled and emitted.
The BORSIG Solution
BORSIG Membrane Technology developed an innovative enhanced add-on
system enabling the increase of the vapour return ratio from the car nozzle to
the storage tank for more efficient vapour collection. The BORSIG VRS is connected to the vent stack to treat the vented air/gasoline vapours. Proven membrane technology generates two streams and selectively separates the air from
the hydrocarbon molecules. The valuable gasoline fraction is returned to the storage to keep the gas phase saturated and even to liquefy the gasoline vapours
when the due point is reached. The cleaned air is released to the atmosphere.
Advantages and Benefits

Proven reduction of wet stock losses by 95%, measured by third party

Increased safety of car filling stations
Better prospects of obtaining planning permission from the authorities
and improved neighbourhood acceptance for filling stations
Reduced exposure of customers to hydrocarbon vapours during car fuelling.
Substantial pay back related to the yearly gasoline throughput
Improved marketing image of the operator
Elimination of direct stack emission
Monitoring of the car filling station tightness and function

12

Product Recovery

Product recovery systems must meet with evermore demanding efficiency

requirements. Economic efficiency, productivity, improved sustainability of
technological processes, as well as optimum utilisation of our resources are
key challenges in this for the industry.
BORSIG Membrane Technology offers optimum solutions here which helps
minimising losses, to recover valuable raw materials or products from
exhaust air or process gas flows and their recycling into the production process and therefore enables:
- Recovery of valuable feedstock and product
- Significant reduction of waste and flare gas capacities
Important products and applications include:

Ethylene monomer from polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, etc.), EO or VAM

productions
Propylene monomer from polypropylene production
Solvent (Butane, Hexane etc.) from slurry-type polymer production
processes
Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) from PVC production
Aromatics (Benzene, Toluene, Xylene etc.) from production and storage
MTBE, ETBE
Fluoro & Chloro Hydrocarbons from any related processes
Methanol, Ethanol
Bio-Fuels from production & storage

Our products include:

BORSIG Ethylene Recovery Unit
Ethylene monomer recovery for polyethylene (PE), ethylene oxide (EO) production
BORSIG Propylene Recovery Unit
Propylene monomer recovery for polypropylene (PP) production
BORSIG Hydrocarbon Recovery Unit
Recovery of valuable hydrocarbon products

13

Product Recovery
BORSIG Ethylene Recovery Unit
Ethylene recovery for production of polyethylene (PE) and
production of ethylene oxide (EO) and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM)
The Application
During the production of polyethylene (PE) one typical process
step is the degassing of PE powder and downstream pressure
condensation to condensate hydrocarbons. The residual purge
gas stream is still rich on non-condensable hydrocarbons and
monomer. To prevent enrichment of inert gas a side stream is
typically sent to the flare and also effects a loss of monomer and
hydrocarbons.
Similar purge gas streams can be identified in vinyl acetate
monomer (VAM) and ethylene oxide (EO) processes. For example the inert gas Argon must be purged out of the process to
prevent enrichment. Furthermore internal distillation overhead
vents and other reactor purges can be treated.
All these procedure effect
- substantial loss of ethylene monomer and of other solvents
- increased flare gas streams and therefore secondary
emissions to the atmosphere
The BORSIG Solution
The BORSIG Ethylene Recovery technology is an easy add-on
system and can be considered in existing and new process
installations. The purge gas stream, typically pressurized and
containing the ethylene monomer and disturbing inert gas, is fed
into the membrane system, while the permeate side of the membrane separation stage is fed back to the existing process gas
compressors suction side. By means of the resulting pressure
difference and the hydrocarbon selective membrane material,
the purge gas stream is separated into the inert gas enriched off
gas and the recycled ethylene-rich permeate stream. Typically
no other equipment or machinery is required, which results in a
very simple and reliable process solution.
Advantages & Benefits

Easy installation in new plants and easy retrofit of existing

systems
Easiest solution Key equipment membrane separator only
Quick installation and easy implementation by skid-mounted
modular design
Very short payback period
Low maintenance
Safe and reliable operation
Tailor-made design to meet customers codes and
specifications

14

Product Recovery
BORSIG Propylene Recovery Unit
Propylene recovery for production of polypropylene (PP)
The Application
During the production of polypropylene (PP) one typical process
step is the degassing of PP resin in the resin bin in order to
purge out non-reacted propylene monomer. Typically nitrogen is
used and continuous purge streams containing substantial content of monomer have to processed to minimise the loss of profit and the required flare gas capacities:
-

Substantial loss of propylene monomer

Increased flare gas streams and therefore secondary
emissions to the atmosphere

The BORSIG Solution

The BORSIG Propylene Recovery technology is an easy add-on
system and can be considered in existing and new process
installations. The purge gas stream compressed and condensed
in the downstream condenser stage, which might be cooled with
cooling agent or liquid propylene. For some PP production
licenses an additional dryer system must be installed prior to
condensation. After separating the condensate the remaining
purge gas is fed into the membrane system, while the permeate side of the membrane separation stage is fed back to
compressors suction side. By means of the resulting pressure
difference and the hydrocarbon selective membrane material,
the purge gas stream is separated into the purified nitrogen
stream and the recycled propylene-rich permeate stream. A
small part of the separated stream is sent to the flare to prevent
accumulation of lighter components.
The process system consists beside the required membrane
stage, mainly of compressor and condensation unit, fully designed as package unit with dedicated PLC. Sometimes dryers
and transfer liquid pumps are installed to meet specific clients
requirements.
Advantages & Benefits

Recovery rates > 95% Propylene and purity > 99 mol.%

Nitrogen
Short payback periods in order of 1-3 years
Safe operation, high reliability, low maintenance
Tailor-made design to specific plants conditions and local
regulations
Quick installation and easy implementation through package
unit design
Feasibility for adaption into existing plants (retrofit design)

15

Product Recovery
BORSIG Hydrocarbon Recovery Unit
Recovery of valuable hydrocarbon products
The Application
In many petrochemical/chemical productions process streams
are generated containing significant amounts of hydrocarbons,
such as solvents, alcohols, aromatics etc. Typically these hydrocarbons are mixed in inert gas streams and must be treated in
order to meet following typical targets:
-

to meet off-gas conditions according to emission legislations

to recover the valuable hydrocarbon content and therefore
minimise the loss of product and profit
to meet the inlet conditions of any downstream process steps
and systems

The BORSIG Solution

The BORSIG Hydrocarbon Recovery technology is a portfolio of
specially developed and customised process solution to meet
the targets. Typically the membrane separation is combined with
other unit operations, such as absorption, condensation, extraction etc. These hybrid processes are very efficient and enable
the customer to operate his process with highest economically
and ecologically efficiency.
A typical application is the powder degassing in slurry-type PE
plants. Polymer is flashed and stripped with hot nitrogen and the
released purge gas existing of nitrogen and solvents like butane, pentane or hexane can be processed by a sophisticated
BORSIG Hydrocarbon Recovery process.
The liquefied solvent and the nitrogen can be provided for reuse with highest purity.
Advantages & Benefits

Flexible system for multiple components handling

Highest product purities
Stand-alone solution possible
Moderate pressures and temperatures applied for required
condensation
Safe operation, high reliability, low maintenance
Modular design to meet specific plants conditions and local
regulations
Quick installation and easy implementation by package unit
design
Feasibility for adoption to existing plants (retrofit design)

16

Gas Conditioning

BORSIG Membrane Technology offers the possibility to treat

gas flows in oil and gas production applications. The aim is to
condition raw gas flows or to improve product quality to comply
with customers gas specifications, pipeline specifications or
calorific-value requirements.
The required gas quality is typically specified by defining
methane content, pressure dew points, calorific values or a minimum methane number. These quality parameters are typically
determined by the share of higher hydrocarbons (C3+), CO2 or
O2 in the gas.

The possibilities offered by BORSIG Membrane Technology at a

glance:

BORSIG Fuel Gas Conditioning

Gas treatment for pipeline, gas engine and turbine
applications

BORSIG Oxygen Enrichment

Oxygen enrichment for combustion processes

BORSIG Gas Separation

Bulk separation of gas stream

BORSIG Biogas Processing

Membranes and systems for biogas treatment

Process concepts in addition or as an alternative to conventional process solutions.

17

Gas Conditioning
BORSIG Fuel Gas Conditioning
Gas treatment for pipeline, gas engine and turbine applications
Fuel gas taken from the sources available at site and in particular in remote production locations often does not meet the high quality standards
required for pipeline injection or for utilisation in modern high efficiency
gas turbines or engines.
The Application
The fuel gas quality is typically specified in terms of minimum methane
content, methane number, dew point or calorific value or other closely related parameters. All these parameters are determined by the content of
higher hydrocarbons in the fuel gas. Hence in order to increase the fuel
gas quality with respect to these parameters a selective removal or significant reduction of the content of these C3+ components is desired.
The BORSIG Solution
The BORSIG membrane technology for hydrocarbon separation provides
a simple, cost saving and highly reliable solution for fuel gas upgrading
and calorific value control.
The raw gas is taken directly out of a high pressure line at site or compressed by a separate compressor and routed to the membrane unit.
The heavier hydrocarbons (C3+) are separated preferentially and are concentrated on the low pressure side of the membrane, whereas the lighter
components, mainly the methane and ethane, remain at high pressure.
This lean residue of the membrane provides the high quality fuel gas to
be utilised in the gas motor or turbine or to be injected into a respective
pipeline. The enriched permeate stream is routed to a low pressure line at
site or typically recycled to the compressor suction.
Because the membrane provides also a separation capability for water
the membrane will also allow a certain degree of dehydration simultaneously with the hydrocarbon separation. This may be sufficient to
achieve the required water dewpoint specification and to reduce the risk
of hydrate formation.
Advantages & Benefits

High C3+ removal

High equipment reliability and on-stream availability
Completely assembled compact process units
Easy integration into existing facilities
Minimum of supervision and maintenance
Prolonged life time of gas turbines or engines and related components
Particularly suitable for offshore applications and remote locations

18

Gas Conditioning
BORSIG Oxygen Enrichment
BORSIG Gas Separation
Oxygen enrichment for combustion processes
Various processes requiring oxygen are just being fed with air.
Typically higher process efficiency or product yields can be
achieved when operating these processes with a gas stream
with higher oxygen content than provided by ambient air.
The BORSIG membrane technology provides an attractive solution to generate oxygen enriched feed gas streams utilised for
instance in combustion or chemical process applications.

Bulk separation of gas stream

CO2 SEPARATION
CO2 gas separation applications are found within a wide range
of operating pressures and feed gas compositions. Typically in
dependence on the actual application also the requirements
regarding product purity and separation efficiency do vary within
a wide range. Main applications are for instance biogas and
natural gas treatment or more general CO2 separation/recovery
from process off gas streams. The membrane technology provides efficient and cost effective solutions for CO2 separation in
a wide range of these applications.

Natural Gas Treatment

Nowadays a significantly increased percentage of worldwide
gas production is dealing with natural gas containing considerable amounts of CO2. A typical CO2 content is within the
range of 5 to 15 %. In order to maintain the gas quality and to
meet pipeline specification requirements efficient and economically viable CO2 separation technologies have to be applied.
For a wide range of applications in particular for small and medium gas flow rates the membrane technology can provide
interesting process concepts in addition or as an alternative to
conventional process solutions.

Biogas
Plant

Biogas
Treatment / U
Raw
Bio-gas

Biogas
production

Filter/
Coalescer
free water
removal

Gas
compression

19

Gas Conditioning
BORSIG Biogas Processing
Membranes and systems for biogas treatment
With the recently increasing efforts to utilise renewable energy
sources biogas is considered to be one of the major options for
providing a significant share in the modern energy mix. To use
this source the produced raw-biogas is processed and treated in
order to meet the gas specifications required for utilisation.
The Application
A raw-biogas generated by fermentation contains methane (typically 50 to 60 %) and CO2. In order to utilise the bio-methane
for the injection in the gas distribution network or as fuel gas for
motors or turbines for energy production the raw biogas is treated and upgraded accordingly.
The BORSIG Solution
The BORSIG membrane and process technology enables an
efficient CO2/methane separation process to provide the product gas at the required purity while reducing the loss of methane.

s
pgrade
Product Gas
Bio-Methane
CO2/
methane
separation
Membrane
Unit
Lean
Off-gas
Utilisation /
Treatment

Network
Operator
Gas Network
Compression,
meetering,
odoration etc

The biogas treatment process set-up comprises

Filter/coalescer for free water removal
Desulphurisation if required to meet respective pipeline
specifications of network operator
Gas compression
Membrane separation
Product gas metering and conditioning (odoration, etc.)
to be provided by network operator
Advantages & Benefits

Reduced scope of equipment, reduced size and weight

Minimum mechanical complexity:
Static system / no moving parts / easy to operate
No additional chemicals or refrigerants required
Flexible modular design
Completely prefabricated containerised solution ready for
installation and operation

These advantages allow attractive process solutions for biogas

processing already for operators of biogas plants within the
lower capacity range.

20

Liquid Separation
BORSIG Nanofiltration
Innovative liquid filtration and separation by solvent resistant membrane
Chemical resistant membrane materials, in combination with innovative technology to
modify surfaces for specific purposes, enable a wide range of new promising applications for membrane separation processes.
Based on these developments Organophilic Nanofiltration (oNF) offers attractive solutions for challenging separations in the molecular range between ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, focusing on treatment of organic liquids.
As alternative to or in combination with conventional separation operations, solvent resistant membranes provide the opportunity of highly efficient process installations for the
selective separation of liquid organic mixtures.
BORSIG Membrane Technology provides composite membranes with excellent performance to meet high requirements in nanofiltration applications. Based on our know-how
and experience in process design and engineering various applications have been already implemented.

Features and Advantages of our oNF-Membranes:

Outstanding performance with regard to permeability and selectivity

Chemical resistance to organic media e.g.:
Alkanes (Hexane, etc.)
Aromatics (Toluene, etc.)
Alcohols (Ethanol, etc.)
Ether
(THF, etc.)
Ketones (Acetone, etc.)
Ester
(Ethylacetate, etc.)
Long-term durability
Mechanical stability in a wide range of pressures and temperatures
Easy configuration for different types of modules

21

Applications (Examples)

Recovery of homogenous catalysts from reaction mixtures

Conditioning of liquid hydrocarbons
Purification of organic solvents
Product separation in edible oil industries

The cooperation with our partner enables us to provide tailor-made membranes for specific applications. This is accomplished using comprehensive know-how on molecular
surface design (MSE-Technology: Molecular Surface Engineering).
Highly sophisticated test units and advanced analytics ensure the optimised selection
and reliable evaluation of membranes.
Membrane production and supply of required membrane modules in envelope or spiral
wound type design is provided by BORSIG Membrane Technology to all international
codes and standards.
Our Services at a glance

Evaluation of your separation problem and technical support by our experts

Lab-scale membrane tests (chemical resistance, membrane screening, feasibility
studies)
Development and optimisation of nanofiltration membranes for your specific
application
In-house membrane and module manufacturing
Pilot scale field tests
Process design (basic engineering)
Detail engineering and construction
Process units (pilot scale, production process systems)

22

Liquid Separation
BORSIG Nanofiltration
Organophilic Nanofiltration Test Rig
Features

Cell design enables defined cross-flow velocities

Reproducible test results
Simultaneous testing of two membranes possible
Feed, retentate and permeate sampling (during unit operating)
Automated unit control & monitoring
Computer-aided data processing & documentation
Temperature-controlled tests

Scope of Applications

Membrane screening & characterisation

Long-term performance tests
Determination of reliable scale-up parameters for industrial
modules
Optimisation tests for industrial process parameters
Small-scale production and processing for product evaluation
(purification, concentration)

Operating Conditions

Pressure range:
Temperature range:
Feed flow rate:
Feed volume:

0-40 bar
0-100 C
up to 200 l/h
7.5 l

23

24

Engineering and Services

BORSIG Membrane Technology offers its customers in the

oil/gas-, petrochemical and chemical industry a comprehensive
service package or individual services, so that you can fully
focus on your core competence.
Our service team is trained according to SCC and VCA and consists of seasoned engineers and technicians who are in charge
of plants and installations worldwide. Thanks to our many years
of experience in servicing industrial plants and the required
multidisciplinary competence in process engineering, plant
design, control and instrumentation, as well as explosion protection, we know what matters.
We offer you reliability, economic efficiency and protection for
your assets. We can perform or co-ordinate all services ourselves and are hence capable of making optimum use of synergies. The basic requirement for optimum plant efficiency and for
avoiding non-scheduled downtime is regular inspections and the
checking of all functions and installation parts subject to wear by
competent experts. Innovative measuring and analysis methods
help to avoid failures and breakdowns. Using software-supported systems for maintenance and service scheduling, we
develop with you specific strategies for your particular application in order to establish perfectly timed and cost saving maintenance and service intervals. These made-to-measure concepts ensure that plant availability and productivity increase,
environmental burdens become fewer, and maintenance costs
drop significantly.

Vapour
Recovery
Unit
Feed
20,00 C
1,010 kg/cm2
1000 ACT_m3/h

Gasoline
Vapours

440,6 C
7,138 kg/cm2

5,199 m3/h
10,00 C
7,036 kg/cm2

Valve-01

Feed

Compressor

Mixer-01

Absorbent
Mixe
in

25,13 C
1,050 kg/cm2
23,36 m3/h
25,13 C
1,050 kg/cm2
1306 kgmole/h

Mixer-03

Mixer-02

Heat
Exchanger-100 Vessel-01

23,00 C
1,050 kg/cm2
1,000 kg/h

Makeup
water

Gas
in

Pump-01

35,30
140,4

35,30 C
7,138 kg/cm
89,50 kg/h

Vesse
Tee-01
47,95 m3/h
20,00 C
1,033 kg/cm2

Cooling
water
in

20,00 C
0,9310 kg/cm2

Cooling
water
out

35,30 C
7,138 kg/cm2
11,98 kg/h

25

Engineering and Services

Performance
VRU Feed g/Nm 597,7
Retentate g/Nm 6,829

15,18 C
7,036 kg/cm2
124,4 m3/h

HC (Vol.)

19,99

HC Recovery

99,95

Retentate

Gas
out Membrane-01

er-05

11,15
0,1530
240,5
1688

0 C
4 ACT_m3/h

C
kg/cm2
Nm3/h
ACT_m3/h

Permeate
2,910 kg/h
24,05 C
7,138 kg/cm2

m2

Off
Gas

Valve-04

Absorber

Absorbent
out

9,810 C
6,832 kg/cm2
89,78 ACT_m3/h

3629 kg/h
Valve-02 633,3 kg/m3

el-02

Recovered
Hydrocarbon
14,89 kg/h
33,10 C
7,138 kg/cm2

24,32 C
7,138 kg/cm2

Mixer-04

Valve-03

Process
water
out

Process development and optimisation

Basic- and detail engineering
Process control and visualisation
Erection and commissioning of plants and systems
Operator training
After-sales-services, maintenance and trouble-shooting
in accordance with DIN EN 13306
Maintenance and trouble-shooting of third-party vapour
recovery units
Plant-specific maintenance contracts and spare-parts
management
Standby service and remote-service for software
updates and trouble-analyses
Process optimisation of existing plants and systems
Hazard and operability studies (HAZOP) of BORSIG and
third-party VRUs and other plants and systems, IPF analysis
Pressure vessel tests in co-operation with responsible
authorities
Performance tests of BORSIG and third-party plants and
systems, including gas and emission- and capacity
measurement, gas analyses
Emission reports for refineries and tank farms

BORSIG Membrane Technology GmbH

Bottroper Strasse 279
D-45964 Gladbeck/Germany

Am Rhein 5
D-79618 Rheinfelden/Germany

Phone +49 (0) 2043 / 4006-01

Fax
+49 (0) 2043 / 4006-6299
E-mail info@borsig-mt.com

Phone +49 (0) 7623 / 96609-0

Fax
+49 (0) 7623 / 96609-50
http:// www.borsig.de

Edition: BMT-EN-2010-09