Separation of Carbon Dioxide from Flue Gas with Membranes

75029-Flue gas from electric power plants is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. No current technology can separate flue gas into concentrated carbon dioxide streams for sequestration at an economical cost. This project will develop a membrane process to separate carbon dioxide from power plant flue gas. A countercurrent sweep design will be used to minimize membrane area and reduce power consumption by the process. In Phase I, composite membranes and modules will be prepared and evaluated with model gas mixtures. A technical and economic analysis will be performed to determine the feasibility of the process, and various process designs will be evaluated. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should be applicable to the removal of carbon dioxide from the flue gases of electric power plants. Its subsequent sequestration would mitigate the global warming problem.