A Commercially Viable Carbon Molecular Sieve Membrane for Subquality Natural Gas

70903 About 40% of the approximately 54 trillion standard cubic feet of gas reserves in the lower 48 states can not be economically extracted because it is considered subquality and/or from small or remote wells. Current generation membranes offer a potential solution but have not been implemented because of various technical and economical barriers. This project will develop a carbon molecular sieve/ceramic composite (CMS/C) membrane, combining ¿next generation¿ membrane features of high specific selectivity and throughput in a rugged, low cost, and reliable composite membrane format. Phase I will conduct bench level synthesis and performance testing of several CMS/C membranes derived from selected precursors to identify an appropriate candidate membrane for the application environment. Following screening, one candidate will be chosen for scale-up development and testing on a full scale commercial ceramic substrate. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The CMS/C composite membrane should find application in the upgrading of natural gas from subquality and/or remote wells. This membrane can be directly translated into enhanced oil recovery and landfill gas recovery applications. In addition, the CMS/C membrane should find use in such industrially important processes as propane/propylene recovery and oxygen/nitrogen separation.