AIR FILTRATION OF TOXIC GASES USING MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY

TOXIC VAPORS SUCH AS HYDROGEN CYANIDE, CYANOGEN CHLORIDE, PHOSGENE AND NERVE AGENT GB MAY BE ENCOUNTERED BY TROOPS UNDER ATTACK BY CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS. BETTER METHODS OF REMOVING THESE VAPORS FROM AIR ARE REQUIRED. THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES THE TREATMENT OF THESE VAPORS THROUGH THE USE OF COMPOSITE MEMEBRANES EXTREMELY PERMEABLE TO THE VAPOR BUT RELATIVELY IMPERMEABLE TO AIR. SIMILAR MEMBRANES HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED AT MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH , INC. (MTR) FOR THE REMOVAL OF ORGANIC EMISSIONS FROM I INDUSTRIAL AIR STREAMS. THE MEMBRANE SYSTEMS CAN BE MADE QUITE COMPACT AND LIGHT, WEIGHT. EXISTING TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS 100 FT (3)/MIN OF AIR TO BE DEACTIVATED BY A UNIT WITH A VOLUME OF 20 TO 30 FT (3) POWERED BY A 15 TO 20 HP MOTOR. DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EFFICIENT MEMBRANES AND MODULES WOULD ALLOW MORE COMPACT, LIGHT WEIGHT, AND ENERGY EFFICIENT UNITS TO BE BUILT. UNLIKE CARBON ABSORPTION SYSTEMS MEMBRANE UNITS ARE CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUS ANATTENDED OPERATION AND DO NOT REQUIRED PERIODIC REPLACEMENT OR REGENRATION OFTHE ABSORPT ION BED. IN THIS PHASE I PROGRAM, THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PROCESS WITH MEMBRANES SELECTED FOR THIS SEPARATION WOULD BETESTED. SMALL SPIRAL WOUND MEMBRANE MODULES WOUD BE USED.