Separation technologies play a hidden but vital role in manufacturing.
Many common products are processed using materials or chemicals that are purified with separation technologies, such as heat distillation to burn off gases, and, in recent years, membranes that function like sieves or filters. Examples of products that rely on separations include the purified solvents and feedstocks used to make semiconductor wafers and pharmaceuticals made from reactions involving purified specialty chemicals. The quality of the separation influences product purity as well as the environ-mental impact of the manufacturing process. Driven by global competition and pollution prevention targets, U.S. manu-facturers are seeking new process technologies, including separations, as a means of enhancing product performance, reducing costs, and eliminating pollution at the source. Traditional separation methods have been optimized to the limit, yet cannot achieve the purity or efficiency levels needed to make many emerging products.