Green synthesis of vanillin: Pervaporation and dialysis for process intensification in a membrane reactor

Abstract

In the present work, two different membrane processes (pervaporation and dialysis) are compared in view of their utilization in a membrane reactor, where vanillin, which is probably the most important aroma of the food industry, is synthesized in a green and sustainable way. The utilized precursor (ferulic acid, which is possibly a natural product from agricultural wastes) is partially oxidized (photocatalytically or biologically) and the product is continuously recovered from the reacting solution by the membrane process to avoid its degradation. It is observed that pervaporation is much more selective towards vanillin than dialysis, but the permeate flux of dialysis is much higher. Furthermore, dialysis can work also at lower temperatures and can be used to continuously restore the consumed substrate into the reacting mixture. A mathematical model of the integrated process (reaction combined with membrane separation) reproduces quite satisfactorily the experimental results and can be used for the analysis and the design of the process.