Distillation

Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of <a href="/facts/Separation_process/8Ie5Lv5Y">separating</a> the component substances of a liquid <a href="/facts/Mixture/tms8rbmn">mixture</a> of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective <a href="/facts/Boiling/BHxWzT2k">boiling</a> of the mixture and the <a href="/facts/Condensation/yvmkI08A">condensation</a> of the vapors in a <a href="/facts/Still/glfNFaUp">still</a>.
Distillation can operate over a wide range of pressures from 0.14 <a href="/facts/Bar_(unit)/wwFWTTkT">bar</a> (e.g., <a href="/facts/Ethylbenzene/aVhfY3vX">ethylbenzene</a>/<a href="/facts/Styrene/B8uXm78L">styrene</a>) to nearly 21 bar (e.g.,<a href="/facts/Propylene/5eLDmPvm">propylene</a>/<a href="/facts/Propane/E0b23KGh">propane</a>) and is capable of separating feeds with high volumetric flowrates and various components that cover a range of relative volatilities from only 1.17 (<a href="/facts/O-Xylene/lCELfssz">o-xylene</a>/<a href="/facts/M-xylene/R18IDFIS">m-xylene</a>) to 81.2 (water/<a href="/facts/Ethylene_glycol/stFz6CVe">ethylene glycol</a>). Distillation provides a convenient and time-tested solution to separate a diversity of chemicals in a continuous manner with high purity. However, distillation has an enormous environmental footprint, resulting in the consumption of approximately 25% of all industrial energy use. The key issue is that distillation operates based on phase changes, and this separation mechanism requires vast energy inputs.
<a href="/facts/Dry_distillation/Eh04GWau">Dry distillation</a> (<a href="/facts/Thermolysis/Qqx9RqkW">thermolysis</a> and <a href="/facts/Pyrolysis/h1cEegI7">pyrolysis</a>) is the heating of solid materials to produce gases that condense either into <a href="/facts/Fluid/tMQ46Tmz">fluid</a> products or into solid products. The term dry distillation includes the separation processes of <a href="/facts/Destructive_distillation/wtNd7vB8">destructive distillation</a> and of <a href="/facts/Cracking_(chemistry)/EBLtwW4g">chemical cracking</a>, breaking down large <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbon/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbon</a> molecules into smaller hydrocarbon molecules. Moreover, a partial distillation results in partial separations of the mixture's components, which process yields nearly-pure components; partial distillation also realizes partial separations of the mixture to increase the concentrations of selected components. In either method, the separation process of distillation exploits the differences in the <a href="/facts/Relative_volatility/TY9ynnC6">relative volatility</a> of the component substances of the heated mixture.
In the industrial applications of classical distillation, the term distillation is used as a <a href="/facts/Unit_operation/7TAe9XH0">unit of operation</a> that identifies and denotes a process of physical separation, not a <a href="/facts/Chemical_reaction/GpqWlKrz">chemical reaction</a>; thus an industrial installation that produces <a href="/facts/Liquor/azoTp1Mq">distilled beverages</a>, is a distillery of <a href="/facts/Alcohol_(drug)/IeK2fVd5">alcohol</a>. These are some applications of the chemical separation process that is distillation:

<ul><li>Distilling <a href="/facts/Fermentation_in_food_processing/pWDlWfkd">fermented</a> products to yield alcoholic beverages with a high content by volume of <a href="/facts/Ethanol/3lCLfBSP">ethyl alcohol</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Desalination/feP0m9wS">Desalination</a> to produce potable water and for medico-industrial applications.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Crude_oil_stabilisation/4Wu60cuT">Crude oil stabilisation</a>, a partial distillation to reduce the vapor pressure of crude oil, which thus is safe to store and to transport, and thereby reduces the volume of atmospheric emissions of volatile <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbon/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbons</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Fractional_distillation/DdNf0k8I">Fractional distillation</a> used in the midstream operations of an <a href="/facts/Oil_refinery/yeaW0UMv">oil refinery</a> for producing <a href="/facts/Fuel/H8DIRL1j">fuels</a> and chemical <a href="/facts/Raw_material/cthCpclF">raw materials</a> for livestock feed.</li>
<li>Cryogenic <a href="/facts/Air_separation/WWTx03pP">Air separation</a> into the component gases — <a href="/facts/Oxygen/acyn6o8r">oxygen</a>, <a href="/facts/Nitrogen/Nf1QpGDz">nitrogen</a>, and <a href="/facts/Argon/QX6NRH6d">argon</a> — for use as <a href="/facts/Industrial_gas/LcMR7LkG">industrial gases</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Chemical_synthesis/3KXsVVwC">Chemical synthesis</a> to separate impurities and unreacted materials.</li></ul>

Distillation open-in-new

Distillation