This is an introductory textbook for studying separation. Primarily, this book covers the separation of mixtures of molecules; in addition, it provides a significant treatment of particle separation methods. Separation of macromolecules has also received some attention. The treatment and coverage of topics are suitable for chemical engineering students at undergraduate and graduate levels. There is enough material here to cover a variety of introductory courses on separation processes at different levels.

This book is focused on developing a basic understanding of how separation takes place, and of how the resulting separation phenomenon is utilized in a separation device. The role of various forces driving molecules or particles from a feed mixture into separate phases/fractions/regions is basic to such an approach to studying separation. The separation achieved is then amplified in an open separator via different patterns of bulk-phase velocities vis-à-vis the direction(s) of the force(s). The forces are generated by chemical potential gradient, electrical field, rotational motion, gravity, magnetic field, etc. The resulting separation is studied under three broad categories of separation processes.