Polymer-Zeolite Membrane for Air Separation

Coal is our nation¿s most abundant carbonaceous energy source, from which we could produce, in addition to electricity, most of the liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical feed stocks that our society needs. However, coal gasifiers and other partial oxidation processes for making synthesis gas are prohibitively expensive without high-purity oxygen. Therefore, this project will develop a high-efficiency membrane separation process for low-pressure, low-temperature extraction of oxygen from air. The advanced organic-inorganic hybrid membrane will be comprised of a purposefully modified polymer and a specially designed zeolite molecular sieve. In Phase I, the novel polymer-zeolite membrane will be fabricated and tested, and a techno-economic feasibility study will be performed. In Phase II, the membrane¿s structure and performance will be optimized, a bench-scale air separation unit will be built and tested, and the test results will be compared to cryogenic distillation and other membrane processes. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The oxygen separation technology should cut O2 costs by 10 to 20% compared to existing technologies, leading to reduced costs of coal gasification. The impact of cost-effective coal gasification on our energy economy would be dramatic, providing an acceptable alternative, nonpetroleum-based route to power, fuels, hydrogen, and chemicals. Economically efficient air separation technologies also should be applicable to the chemical and petrochemical industries for various oxidation processes.