Regenerable Carbon Dioxide Removal Technology Based on Novel Macroporous Ion Exchange Resins for Closed-Circuit Breathing Apparatus

Currently, the United States Military encounters many scenarios where soldiers must enter hazardous areas, while maintaining isolation from contaminants such as chemical and biological agents as well as hazardous material exposure. This requires that the soldiers respiratory tract be isolated to prevent exposure to these contaminants. In order to accomplish this, the soldiers wear protective suits and/or masks which include a respiratory isolation system, more commonly called a rebreather. Inherently, current rebreather technologies fall short in several areas creating both discomfort and unsafe conditions for the soldier. Lynntech proposes a safe and novel solution to address these concerns by developing a scrubber based off a high surface area macroporous ionic resin with advanced grafting techniques using amines to create a fully regenerable sorbent to be used for carbon dioxide capture within the self contained breathing apparatus. This sorbent eliminates dusting, operates at a much more neutral pH value, has potential for increased carbon dioxide capacity, and is more tolerant of high levels of humidity. Additionally, the sorbent eliminates ice packs by creating no noticeable heat of reaction and thus reduces the overall weight and lifetime costs of the rebreather apparatus ($/unit carbon dioxide absorbed).