ORGANIC-INORGANIC COMPOSITE MEMBRANES FOR GAS SEPARATION AND VAPOR PERMEATION

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIFICALLY ENGINEERED POLYMERS AND APPROPRIATE MODULE DESIGNS IN THE PAST DECADE HAS MADE POSSIBLE THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF GAS SEPARATION MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY FOR SEVERAL INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. SINCE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE MEMBRANES AND MODULES ARE BASED UPON USE OF ORGANIC POLYMERIC MATERIALS, THEY GENERALLY ARE LIMITED TO APPLICATIONS INVOLVING TEMPERATURES OF LESS THAN ABOUT 100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SEVERAL POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS FOR GAS SEPARATION MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY THAT INVOLVE TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE TO 300 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. FOR THESE, COMMERCIALLY VIABLE MEMBRANES OR MODULES ARE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE. IN PHASE I, COST-EFFECTIVE GAS-PERMEABLE MEMBRANE MODULES BASED ON LOW-COST CERAMIC SUPPORTS WILL BE DEVELOPED. SUCH MODULES WILL BE DESIGNED FOR USE AT TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF 100 DEGREES TO 300 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. AN INNOVATIVE METHOD WILL BE USED TO APPLY THIN, DEFECT-FREE MEMBRANES, BASED ON THERMALLY RESISTANT POLYMERS, TO THE CERAMIC SUPPORTS. THE RESULTING MEMBRANE MODULES WILL SUBSEQUENTLY BE TESTED AT TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE TO 300 DEGREES CENTIGRADE FOR GAS SEPARATION AND VAPOR PERMEATION PROPERTIES USING TWO-COMPONENT GAS MIXTURES.