A FACILITATED TRANSPORT MEMBRANE FOR NATURAL GAS DESULFURIZATION

THE INCREASED UTILIZATION OF SULFUR-CONTAINING NATURAL GAS (SOUR GAS) COMBINED WITH STRINGENT SULFUR DIOXIDE REQUIREMENTS DEMANDS AN EFFICIENT SULFUR RECOVERY PROCESS. THE MOST DEVELOPED DESULFURIZATION TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYS BULKY LIQUID ABSORPTION PROCESSING FOLLOWED BY REGENERATION AND SULFUR RECOVERY BY A CLAUS PROCESS. MEMBRANE-BASED SYSTEMS ARE GENERALLY PRFERABLE, BUT AVAILABLE PASSIVE CERAMIC MEMBRANES ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY SELECTIVE TO BE ECONOMICALLY COMPETITIVE. THIS PROJECT PURSUES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL TYPE OF REACTIVE MEMBRANE THAT ACCOMPLISHES EFFECTIVE NATURAL GAS DESULFURIZATION BY AN EXTREMELY SELECTIVE FACILITATED TRANSPORT MECHANISM THAT RELEASES EASILY RECOVERABLE ELEMENTAL SULFUR. THE PHASE I TECHNICAL EFFORT INCLUDES PREPARATION OF APPROPRIATE MEMBRANES; CHARACTERIZATION WITH RESPECT TO FILM THICKNESS AND COMPOSITION, PERMEABILITY, AND CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL STABILITY; AND DEMONSTRATION OF THE CONCEPT IN A LABORATORY-SCALE SIMULATED NATURAL GAS DESULFURIZATION REACTOR.