Separation of acetic acid from monosaccharides by NF and RO membranes: Performance comparison

► Separation of acetic acid in model hydrolyzates by NF/RO membranes was compared. ► Feasibility of simultaneous acetic acid separation and sugars concentration was evaluated. ► Extremely high separation factor of acetic acid over sugars by RO was obtained. ► RO is more suitable than NF for simultaneously separating acetic acid and concentrating sugars.