High Permeance Hybrid Membranes for CO2 Separation

The capability to efficiently remove carbon dioxide from industrial gas streams is desirable for a wide variety of applications. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a byproduct of many industrial processes associated with the transformation of fossil fuels into usable products such as heat, electricity, and chemicals. In addition to being a greenhouse gas pollutant, the presence of carbon dioxide in chemical process streams can adversely affect usable product yield, product selectivity, and process efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy Carbon Sequestration Program has identified power generation source points such as coal burning power plants and advanced power generation plants such as Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) as key opportunities to sequester carbon from atmospheric emissions. A hybrid composite CO2 selective membrane with high permeability will be developed in the proposed program in order to separate out CO2 emissions from coal gasification plants as well as aid in hydrogen purification processes. The membrane will operate at higher temperatures than traditional polymeric membranes, enabling more efficient process integration and facilitating new process intensification designs. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Application of the proposed technology within gasification plants, refineries, and industrial gas production facilities offers the potential for greater process efficiencies and reduced CO2 emissions.