CARBON CERAMIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANES FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS SEPARATION

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE, EFFECTIVE, AND ECONOMIC PROCESS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE, HIGH PRESSURE GAS CLEAN-UP AND THUS PROMOTE THE COST-EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF DOMESTIC COAL RESERVES. THIS OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACHIEVED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL CARBON MOLECULAR SIEVE--CERAMIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANE. THE UNIQUE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CARBON MOLECULAR SIEVES INTERSTITIALLY FORMED IN A MACROPOROUS CERAMIC SUPPORT OFFERS THE POTENTIAL OF FACILE INCORPORATION INTO EXISTING CERAMIC MEMBRANE BASED PARTICULATE REMOVAL SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE RELATIVELY CLEAN AND CONCENTRATED HYDROGEN FROM HOT COAL GAS. THIS COMPOSITE MEMBRANE FOR HOT GAS CLEAN-UP OFFERS THE ADVANTAGES OF: (1) SMALL (LESS THAN 25 ANGSTROM DIAMETER) PORES AND A WELL-DEFINED PORE SIZE DISTRIBUTION FOR HIGH SELECTIVITY; (2) A MEANS FOR EXPLOITING THE SPECIFIC ADSORPTIVE CAPACITIES OF CARBON MOLECULAR SIEVES IN MEMBRANE FORM; AND (3) INCREASED STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FORSEPARATIONS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. TO ACHIEVE THEIR OBJECTIVEOF DEVELOPING IMPROVED GAS SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY THE RESEARCHERS PROPOSE TO FABRICATE CARBON-CERAMIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANES BY INTERSTITIAL POLYMER PYROLYSIS IN STATE-OF-THE-ART CERAMIC MEMBRANES. THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF THE COMPOSITE MEMBRANE AS WELL AS ITS SPECIFIC ADSORPTIVECAPACITY TOWARD COAL GAS CONTAMINANTS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED. THE PERFORMANCE (SELECTIVITY, PERMEABILITY, AND SEPARATION EFFICIENCY) OF THESE MATERIALS IN COAL GAS CONTAMINANT SEPARATION WILL BE TESTED UNDER CONDITIONS EQUIVALENT TO THOSE IN COAL-GAS FUELED TURBINE SYSTEMS.