Structured packing can be used in ethylene oxide purification columns to separate EO from water, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and heavier glycol-related compounds. Its low pressure drop and low liquid holdup are especially valuable because reduced temperature and residence time can help limit unwanted EO-to-glycol side reactions. Packing selection should consider effective stage density, feed and side-draw locations, water distribution, EO recovery, aldehyde specifications and project-specific safety and cleanliness requirements rather than nominal surface area alone.

Cumene-process phenol purification requires a series of fractionation steps because the cleavage stream contains acetone, phenol, cumene, alpha-methylstyrene, acetophenone and heavier byproducts. Structured packing can be valuable in vacuum and high-purity phenol sections because it provides high separation efficiency with relatively low pressure drop and liquid holdup. Packing selection should nevertheless consider the exact column duty, heavy-end contamination, AMS-derived resin formation, liquid redistribution and whether the controlling impurity can actually be removed by distillation.

Nitric acid and water form an azeotrope near 68 wt% HNO₃, so ordinary rectification cannot directly produce 98–99% nitric acid simply by adding more packing. Industrial high-concentration nitric acid plants use processes such as sulfuric-acid extractive rectification or magnesium-nitrate dehydration to overcome this limitation. Structured packing can be used in concentration, acid-water recovery and related sections, but selection must account for severe corrosion, dehydrating-agent circulation, pressure drop, NOx handling and the material compatibility of the complete internals system.

Structured packing can be used in vinyl acetate monomer predehydration and purification columns where VAM, water, acetic acid and trace impurities must be separated efficiently. VAM-water forms a heterogeneous azeotropic overhead that is condensed and separated in a decanter, making reflux and liquid distribution central to packed-bed performance. VAM polymerization, ethyl acetate accumulation, side draws and acetic-acid recycle must also be considered. Packing selection should therefore balance separation efficiency and pressure drop with polymer-fouling tolerance and the complete column-condenser-decanter system.

Structured packing can be used in methyl methacrylate purification because high-purity MMA may require many theoretical stages with controlled pressure drop. The service is complicated by methanol, water, MMA oligomers and the monomer's tendency to polymerize. Inhibitor-containing liquid must be distributed effectively across the packing, and very fine packing geometries may become vulnerable if polymer begins adhering to the surfaces. Packing selection should therefore balance stage efficiency, pressure drop, MMA recovery, inhibitor distribution and long-term fouling behavior rather than clean-bed HETP alone.