Process analysis and optimisation of hybrid processes for the dehydration of ethanol

► Process analysis and optimisation of hybrid processes for dehydration of ethanol. ► Hybrid processes consist of distillation, vapour permeation and adsorption. ► Non-equilibrium models and an evolutionary algorithm have been applied. ► 30% less energy is required for membrane assisted processes compared to benchmark. ► Vapour permeation and adsorption process is a smart combination to purify ethanol.