STTR Phase I: High-flux nanoporous calcium-silicate membranes for high efficiency Carbon dioxide separation

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project is cost-effective, eco-friendly membranes that significantly benefit fossil-fuel power plants and gas separation technologies by reducing energy consumption and membrane cost. The proposed disruptive technology has a direct impact on one of our key centennial societal challenges, i.e. reducing greenhouse gas emissions by separating and capturing carbon dioxide. This project will help enable new approaches for manufacturing new cost-effective, high performance, and durable membranes with wide applicability due to the abundance of the raw materials and ease of manufacturing processes. Broadly, the project can impact various separation technologies such as separation and storage of hydrogen for fuel cells, water desalination and filtration, and separation of biomolecules and radioactive waste. The technical objective in this Phase I research project is developing a facile but disruptive technology to synthesize novel nanoporous membrane products capable of efficient separation of CO2 gas molecules from fossil-fuel power plants. The core technology relies on coupling size-exclusion separation mechanisms and affinity-based adsorption to provide superior performance. The proposed novel technology will mitigate the existing challenges in current membrane technologies such as high-temperature instability, low-flux, high-cost, and manufacturing difficulties. The final membrane product can be employed by various energy sectors and industrial gases and will provide a low-cost solution that is more energy-efficient, durable, and demonstrates exceptional CO2 selectivity, as compared to existing technologies.