Ionic Liquid Membrane Contactor for CO2 Capture

Fossil fuels currently supply more than 85% of the worlds energy needs with the ensuing generation of 80% of all anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas is considered to be a major contributor to global warming. There is a concerted effort towards capturing carbon dioxide at the source of generation and sequestering the gas. However, with existing technologies for carbon dioxide capture, the cost of energy generation would increase significantly if carbon dioxide capture is mandated. This program combines two novel technologies, the amorphous perfluoropolymer membrane gas/liquid contactor and ionic liquid absorbents, to create a novel system for capturing carbon dioxide in flue gas and concentrating it for sequestration. Based on the published literature on ionic liquids, the proposed system will be capable of achieving a high selectivity separation of carbon dioxide from flue gas at a lower cost than the other currently available technologies. While the focus of this program is on capturing carbon dioxide in power plant flue gas, many other applications can be considered.Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: This is a platform technology for removing gas from other gases. There are many applications that can take advantage of this. Two key applications of this are: carbon dioxide sequestering and improved recovery of natural gas.