A classification of separation methods

Abstract

The paper presented here is another attempt made to suggest a general classification of separation methods. By unique classification criteria, which are phase transformations and interfacial transfers, all separation methods of homogenous mixtures of substances are divided into five groups: methods that are based on the formation of new phases by substances to be separated; methods that are based on differences in the interphase distribution processes, chromatographic methods being singled out as a separate group; membrane methods that are based on induced transfers of substances from one phase into another one across a third phase, which separates the two; separation methods within a single phase that are based on velocity and direction differences in spatial displacement of particles of substances to be separated within one fluid phase under the action of various fields; combined methods that are based on different combinations of classification criteria for the previous groups above. Descriptions of each group of separation methods include their intragroup classification and information on the most important and the least known of them. These descriptions are in the form of reviews of fundamental — and most interesting, in the author’s opinion, publications, regardless of the time they appeared. An exception to this are the well-known classical methods of the 1st group, for which all the necessary information can be found in university textbooks. Refs 86. Figs 1. Tables 9.