Bibliometric studies allow to collect, organize and process information that can be used to guide the development of research and innovation and to provide basis for decision-making. Paraffin/olefin separations constitute an important industrial issue because cryogenic separation methods are frequently needed in industrial sites and are very expensive. As a consequence, the use of membrane separation processes has been extensively encouraged and has become an attractive alternative for commercial separation processes, as this may lead to reduction of production costs, equipment size, energy consumption and waste generation. For these reasons, a bibliometric survey of paraffin/olefin membrane separation processes is carried out in the present study in order to evaluate the maturity of the technology for this specific application. Although different studies have proposed the use of distinct alternatives for olefin/paraffin separations, the present work makes clear that consensus has yet to be reached among researchers and technicians regarding the specific membranes and operation conditions that will make these processes scalable for large-scale commercial applications.

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Studies regarding sustainability are growing, making the production of bio‐based polymer products, such as poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), a promising new alternative for sustainable development and manufacture of eco‐efficient products. In this context, the main objective of the present study is the production of PBS microbeads through a water‐free suspension polycondensation processes. The obtained results indicate that it is possible to produce PBS microbeads through polycondensation in heterogeneous media, overcoming the natural mass transfer limitations related to the removal of the condensation byproduct (water) from suspended particles, and simultaneously allowing for production of condensation polymer particles in the micrometric region. Besides, the proposed process route promoted shorter reaction times than conventional polycondensations and production of PBS microparticles with controlled sizes and molar mass distributions. The produced particles presented average sizes ranging from 80 to 180 μm, with melting points ranging from 105 to 112 °C and average molar masses around 1.3 × 104 Da.

Front Cover: Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) microparticles can be produced through suspension polycondensations and find many applications in the fields of packaging, films and cosmetics. The figure shows the irregular morphology of particles produced in paraffin suspensions, after hot filtration, cooling, washing with acetone and drying. This is reported by Luciana Dutra, Márcio Nele Souza, José Carlos Pinto in article number https://doi.org/10.1002/mren.201800039.

Polycondensation polymers are normally produced through bulk and solution polymerization processes, which are characterized by significant mass and heat transfer constraints and difficult polymer purification (when prepared in solution). Therefore, it is desirable to develop industrial processes that can circumvent some of these limitations. Recently, a suspension polycondensation process has been developed, rendering the industrial process simpler and enabling the manufacture of polycondensation polymer microparticles. For this reason, the present work builds a phenomenological model to describe the analyzed suspension polycondensation reactions and estimate the model parameters required to simulate poly(butylene succinate) suspension polycondensations. It is shown that both the suspending medium and the reaction conditions can affect the mass transfer resistance for removal of water and that mass transfer rate coefficients are controlled mainly by reaction temperature and solubility of water in the suspending medium, leading to higher mass transfer rates when polymerizations are carried out in soybean oil (when compared to paraffin) at higher temperatures.