Selective permeation of CO2 through poly 2-(N,N-dimethyl)aminoethyl methacrylate membrane prepared by plasma-graft polymerization technique

A membrane having an amine moiety was prepared by plasma-grafting 2-(N,N-dimethyl)aminoethyl methacrylate (DAMA) onto a microporous polyethylene substrate. Permselectivity of the membrane for CO₂ over N₂ was achieved in both dry and water swollen conditions. When the CO₂ partial pressure in the feed gas was 0.047 atm, the selectivity of CO₂ over N₂ reached 130 for the highly swollen water containing membrane. This value was found to agree with that obtained with a mobile carrier membrane (supported liquid membrane) using DAMA as the carrier. The effects of several experimental conditions such as degree of grafting, feed partial pressure and temperature on the membrane performance were studied. It was suggested that the membrane acted as a fixed carrier membrane for CO₂ facilitated transport in under the dry condition and acted as a fixed reaction site membrane in the water swollen condition. The carrier transport mechanism is discussed for dry and aqueous membranes.     

Carbon dioxide separation from hydrogen and nitrogen by fixed facilitated transport in swollen chitosan membranes

The separation of carbon dioxide from hydrogen and nitrogen at high temperatures would be valuable to fuel cell, flue gas purification, and ammonia processes. A feed gas mixture of carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen (10% CO₂, 10% H₂, and 80% N₂) was used to evaluate water-swollen chitosan as a facilitated transport membrane for these applications. The amino group of the chitosan repeating unit could be the fixed carrier that facilitates carbon dioxide transport in the presence of water.     

Novel fixed‐site–carrier polyvinylamine membrane for carbon dioxide capture

Fixed‐site–carrier membranes were prepared for the facilitated transport of CO₂ by casting polyvinylamine (PVAm) on various supports, such as poly(ether sulfone) (PES), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), cellulose acetate (CA), and polysulfone (PSO). The cast PVAm on the support was crosslinked by various methods with glutaraldehyde, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and ammonium fluoride. Among the membranes tested, the PVAm cast on polysulfone and crosslinked by ammonium fluoride showed the highest selectivity of CO₂ over CH₄ (>1000). The permeance of CO₂ was then measured to be 0.014 m³ (STP)/(m² bar h) for a 20 μm thick membrane. The effect of the molecular weight of PVAm and feed pressure on the permeance was also investigated. The selectivity increased remarkably with increasing molecular weight and decreased slightly with increased pressure in the range of 1 to 4 bar. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4326–4336, 2004     

Facilitated transport of CO2 through polyethylenimine/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend membrane

Polyethylenimine (PEI)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend membranes were prepared for the facilitated transport of CO₂. The polymeric carrier PEI was retained in the blend membrane by the entanglement with PVA chains. The CO₂ permeance decreased with an increase in CO₂ partial pressure in feed gas, whereas the N₂ permeance was nearly constant. This result clearly showed that only CO₂ was transported by the facilitated transport mechanism. The CO₂ and N₂ permeabilities increased monotonically with the PEI weight percent in the blend membrane, whereas the selectivity of CO₂ over N₂ showed a maximum. The selectivity increased remarkably with increasing heat-treatment temperature of the membrane. The highest selectivity obtained reached more than 230 when the CO₂ partial pressure was 0.065 atm. The prepared membrane was stable.     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> separation using mixed matrix membrane-based polyurethane incorporated with ZIF-8 nanoparticles

This study presents using zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) as porous filler dispersed phase and polyurethane (PU) as continuous phase to synthesis mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). ZIF-8 nanoparticles were synthesized using centrifugal method. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). In order to investigate the effect of ZIF-8 loading on the membrane performance in CO₂/CH₄ separation, different membranes were prepared with various amounts of ZIF-8 (0–50 wt%). Membranes properties were characterized by SEM, XRD, TGA, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile analysis. SEM images exhibit that the ZIF-8 is dispersed uniformly in cross section of membrane. Thermal stability of membranes increases with addition of the ZIF-8 nanoparticles into the polymer matrix. Both tensile strength and strain at break in the MMMs increase with the ZIF-8 loading. To study the effect of feed pressure on CO₂ and CH₄ transport properties of the membranes, single gas experiments were conducted at 4, 8, and 12 bar feed pressures. Incorporation of ZIF-8 crystals into continuous PU matrix resulted in high-performance gas separation membranes. Increasing feed pressure, significantly, increased separation performances in all the membranes.     

Composite hollow fiber membranes for CO2 capture

Composite hollow fibers membranes were prepared by coating poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) and polysulfone (PSf) hollow fibers with high molecular polyvinylamine (PVAm). Two procedures of coating hollow fibers outside and respective inside were investigated with respect to intrinsic PVAm solution properties and hollow fibers geometry and material.The influence of operating mode (sweep or vacuum) on the performances of membranes was investigated. Vacuum operating mode gave better results than using sweep because part of the sweep gas permeated into feed and induced an extra resistance to the most permeable gas the CO₂. The composite PVAm/PSf HF membranes having a 0.7–1.5 μm PVAm selective layer, showed CO₂/N₂ selectivity between 100 and 230. The selectivity was attributed to the CO₂ facilitated transport imposed by PVAm selective layer. The CO₂ permeance changed from 0.006 to 0.022 m³(STP)/(m² bar h) in direct correlation with CO₂ permeance and separation mechanism of the individual porous supports used for membrane fabrication. The multilayer PVAm/PPO membrane using as support PPO hollow fibers with a 40 nm PPO dense skin layer, surprisingly presented an increase in selectivity with the increase in CO₂ partial pressure. This trend was opposite to the facilitated transport characteristic behaviour of PVAm/porous PSf. This indicated that PVAm/PPO membrane represents a new membrane, with new properties and a hybrid mechanism, extremely stable at high pressure ratios. The CO₂/N₂ selectivity ranged between 20 and 500 and the CO₂ permeance from 0.11 to 2.3 m³(STP)/(m² bar h) depending on the operating conditions.For both PVAm/PSf and PVAm/PPO membranes, the CO₂ permeance was similar with the CO₂ permeance of uncoated hollow fiber supports, confirming that the CO₂ diffusion rate limiting step resides in the properties of the relatively thick support, not at the level of 1.2 μm thin and water swollen PVAm selective layer. A dynamic transfer of the CO₂ diffusion rate limiting step between PVAm top layer and PPO support was observed by changing the feed relative humidity (RH%). The CO₂ diffusion rate was controlled by the PPO support when using humid feed. At low feed humidity the 1.2 μm PVAm top layer becomes the CO₂ diffusion rate limiting step.     

Poly(vinylalcohol)/poly(ethyleneglycol)/poly(ethyleneimine) blend membranes - structure and CO2 facilitated transport

Poly(vinylalcohol) (PVA)/poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)/poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) blend membranes were prepared by solution casting followed by solvent evaporation. The effects of the blend polymer composition on the membrane structure and CO₂/N₂ permeation characteristics were investigated. IR spectroscopy evidenced strong hydrogen bonding interactions between amorphous PVA and PEI, and weaker interactions between PVA and PEG. DSC studies showed that PVA crystallization was partially inhibited by the interactions between amorphous PVA and PEI blend, in which PEG separated into nodules. The CO₂ permeability decreased with an increase in CO₂ partial pressure in feed gas, while the N₂ permeability remained constant. This result indicated that only CO₂ was transported by the facilitated transport mechanism. The CO₂ and N₂ permeabilities increased monotonically with the PEI content in the blend membranes, whereas the ideal selectivity of CO₂ to N₂ transport showed a maximum. When CO₂ is humidified, its permeability through the blend membranes is much higher than that of dry CO₂, but the change in permeability due to the presence of humidity is reversible.     

Facilitated transport of CO2 in novel PVAm/PVA blend membrane

A defect-free ultra thin PVAm/PVA blend facilitated transport membrane cast on a porous polysulfone (PSf) support was developed and evaluated in this study. The target membrane was prepared from commercial polyvinyl amine (PVAm) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Effects of experimental conditions were investigated for a CO₂–N₂ mixed gas. A CO₂/N₂ separation factor of up to 174 and a CO₂ permeance up to 0.58 m³(STP)/(m² h bar) were documented. Experimental results suggest that CO₂ is being transported according to the facilitated transport mechanism through this membrane. The fixed amino groups in the PVAm matrix function as CO₂ carriers to facilitate the transport whereas the PVA adds mechanical strength to the blend by entanglement of the polymeric chains hence creating a supporting network. The good mechanical properties obtained from the blend of PVA with PVAm, enabled an ultra thin selective layer (down to 0.3 μm) to be formed on PSf support (with MWCO of 50,000), resulted in both high selectivity and permeance. The PVAm/PVA blend membrane also exhibited a good stability during a 400 h test.     

A Highly Permeable Aligned Montmorillonite Mixed‐Matrix Membrane for CO2 Separation

Highly permeable montmorillonite layers bonded and aligned with the chain stretching orientation of polyvinylamineacid are immobilized onto a porous polysulfone substrate to fabricate aligned montmorillonite/polysulfone mixed‐matrix membranes for CO₂ separation. High‐speed gas‐transport channels are formed by the aligned interlayer gaps of the modified montmorillonite, through which CO₂ transport primarily occurs. High CO₂ permeance of about 800 GPU is achieved combined with a high mixed‐gas selectivity for CO₂ that is stable over a period of 600 h and independent of the water content in the feed.     

PAMAM dendrimer composite membrane for CO2 separation: Formation of a chitosan gutter layer

A poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer composite membrane with an excellent CO₂/N₂ separation factor was developed in-situ. The In-situ Modification (IM) method was used to modify the surface of commercial porous membranes, such as ultrafiltration membranes, to produce a gas selective layer by controlling the interface precipitation of the membrane materials in the state of a received membrane module. Using the IM method, a chitosan layer was prepared on the inner surface of a commercially available ultrafiltration membrane as a gutter layer, in order to affix PAMAM dendrimer molecules on the porous substrate. After chitosan treatment, the PAMAM dendrimer was impregnated into the gutter layer to form a PAMAM/chitosan hybrid layer. The CO₂ separation performance of the resulting composite membrane was tested at a pressure difference of 100 kPa and a temperature of 40 °C, using a mixed CO₂ (5 vol%)/N₂ (95 vol%) feed gas. The PAMAM dendrimer composite membrane, with a gutter layer prepared from ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether and a 0.5 wt% chitosan solution of two different molecular weight chitosans, revealed an excellent CO₂/N₂ separation factor and a CO₂ permeance of 400 and 1.6 × 10⁻⁷ m³ (STP) m⁻² s⁻¹ kPa⁻¹, respectively. SEM observations revealed a defect-free chitosan layer (thickness 200 nm) positioned directly beneath the top surface of the UF membrane substrate. After PAMAM dendrimer treatment, the hybrid chitosan/PAMAM dendrimer layer was observed with a thickness of 300 nm. XPS analysis indicated that the hybrid layer contained about 20–40% PAMAM dendrimer.     

Preparation and characterization of chitosan‐graft‐poly (ϵ‐caprolactone) with an organic catalyst

Chitosan‐graft‐poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) was prepared via the ring‐opening graft polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone (CL) through chitosan with 4‐dimethylaminopyridine as a catalyst and water as a swelling agent. The graft content of PCL within the graft copolymer was adjusted by the feed ratio of CL to chitosan, and the highest grafting concentration of PCL was up to about 400%. Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, and two‐dimensional heteronuclear single quantum coherence analyses indicated that the amino group (NH₂ CH‐2) of chitosan initiated the graft polymerization of CL through the backbone of chitosan, and the hydroxyl group (HO CH_2–6) of chitosan did not participate in initiating the graft polymerization. The percentage of amino groups initiating the graft polymerization decreased with an increasing molar ratio of CL to chitosan in the feed, and this was attributed to the fact that the graft polymerization system increasingly became heterogeneous with an increasing feed ratio of CL to chitosan. The physical properties of the graft copolymers were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, respectively. These suggested that the introduction of PCL grafts through the chitosan backbone would to some extent destroy the crystalline structure of chitosan, and the PCL grafts existed in an amorphous structure. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5353–5361, 2006     

Chitosan/N-methylol nylon 6 blend membranes for the pervaporation separation of ethanol–water mixtures

Blend membranes of chitosan and N-methylol nylon 6 were prepared by solution blending. Their pervaporation performances for the separation of ethanol–water mixtures were investigated in terms of acid (H₂SO₄) post-treatment, feed concentration, blend ratio and temperature. The pervaporation performance of the blend membranes was significantly improved by ionizing with H₂SO₄. The blend ratio of chitosan and N-methylol nylon 6 plays a different role at feed solutions of low and high water content. At a feed solution having low water content, an increase in chitosan content caused a decrease in permeability and an increase in separation factor. At a feed solution having high water content, the permeability increases with an increase in chitosan content, while the separation factor shows a maximum value around 60 wt% chitosan. It is proposed that extra permeation channels generated from the phase separation boundary between ionized chitosan and N-methylol nylon 6 account for the abnormal temperature dependence of pervaporation performance of the blend membranes.     

Gas-separating properties of membranes based on star-shaped fullerene (C<Subscript>60</Subscript>)-containing polystyrenes

Based on regular star-shaped PSs differing in the structure of the branching center (one or two covalently bound fullerene C₆₀ molecules) and in the number of branchings (6 and 12), homogeneous gas-separation membranes have been produced. The transport behavior of the membranes with respect to several gases, such as H₂, He₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄, has been studied by mass spectrometry. It has been found that the membranes prepared from six-arm PSs are characterized by a smaller density of macromolecular packing than the membranes obtained from 12-arm PCs and, consequently, they possess higher gas permeability. The starshaped PSs demonstrate a higher selectivity factor for separation of the O₂/N₂ gas pair compared to the corresponding characteristics of the linear PSs. The analysis of gas-separation characteristics by means of the Reitlinger-Robeson diagrams demonstrates that the transport behavior of star-shaped PSs qualitatively surpasses similar parameters of the known polymers in the separation of the CO/N₂ gas pair.     

Electrodialysis of uranium(VI) through cation exchange membranes and modeling of electrodialysis processes

The transport of ionic species through ion exchange membranes found several applications for water effluents purification and metal ion separation. To enhance the transport performance, the effect of electric fields was suggested in this work. The transport of U(VI) species in nitric acid solutions across cation exchange membranes was investigated. Different parameters affecting the transport of U(VI) were studied. These parameters include: nitric acid concentration in the feed solution, stripping solution concentration and applied electric field. From the results obtained, the cationic flux of U(VI) was 6.5^.10^–8 geq^.cm^–2.s^–1 at the optimal conditions of 10^–3M HNO₃ in the feed solution, 0.5M Na₂CO₃ in the stripping solution and 30 V. The modeling of the electrodialysis process was also made. The model correlates the mass transfer as a function of current density and voltage as variables and takes into account the electro-osmotic effect. The model is applied to the experimental data.     

Facilitated Transport of C<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Subscript>4</Subscript> in a SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-Ag<Superscript>+</Superscript> Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Membrane

Inorganic-organic hybrid membranes containing silica as the structure matrix, poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as the organic mediating agent and silver ions as olefinic carriers were prepared using sol–gel method and dip-coating process. The structure and permeances of the membranes for N₂, He, C₂H₄, C₂H₆ at different temperatures indicated that defect-free membranes were obtained and the transportation of the C₂H₄ through the membranes followed the dissolution and diffusion mechanism. Ideal separation factors of C₂H₄/C₂H₆ through the membranes were evaluated at the temperature of 298, 373 and 423 K respectively using mixture gas of 50% C₂H₄-50% C₂H₆. The results showed that the ideal separation factors of C₂H₄/C₂H₆ through the membranes were obviously greater than the ratio of PC₂H₄/PC₂H₆ obtained from the single gas measurement due to the hindering effect by the adsorbed C₂H₄. The ideal separation factors of C₂H₄/C₂H₆ increased with temperature and reached 10 at 423 K, which suggested that C₂H₄ and C₂H₆ could be separated at lower humidity compared to the reported organic polymer/silver salt membranes in which humidified gases and higher silver loading were usually used. The transport of C₂H₄ in the inorganic-organic hybrid membrane was proposed to follow the hopping mechanism, that is, olefins moved across the fixed silver sites.     

CO2/H2 separation by facilitated transport membranes immobilized with aqueous single and mixed amine solutions: Experimental and modeling study

An experimental and theoretical analysis to separate CO₂ using facilitated transport membranes immobilized with different aqueous single and mixed amine solutions have been performed. The membranes containing monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), monoprotonated ethylenediamine (EDAH⁺) and piperazine (PZ), as well as aqueous blends of PZ with MEA, DEA or EDAH⁺ were considered. The aqueous solution of PZ showed the highest CO₂ permeation rate with respect to other single amine solutions. Therefore blends of PZ with MEA, DEA and EDAH⁺ increased the permeance of carbon dioxide through mixed amine membranes.     

Regioselective synthesis and biological activity of oxidized chitosan derivatives

Oxidized chitosan derivatives with various degrees of oxidation (DS, 0.1–1.0) were prepared by the treatment of chitosan with CrO₃/aq HClO₄ or by the oxidation of ­3‐O‐ and N‐protected chitosan with 30% aq H₂O₂/Na₂WO₄ followed by 3‐O‐ and N‐deprotection. The oxidized products were then N‐acetylated with Ac₂O in order to improve their water‐solubility. Although the oxidized chitosan derivative of DS 0.28 and the degree of N‐acetylation of chitosan (DA) 38% was insoluble in the pH 3–8 region, that of DS 0.26 and DA 76% was soluble in the neutral pH range. The newly‐prepared acetylated and oxidized chitosan derivatives were found to suppress the chemiluminescence response of inflammatory cells such as canine polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs). Analysis by the surface plasmon resonance method revealed that the bind and release behavior of PMNs to acetylated oxidized chitosan derivatives was similar to that against carboxymethylated chitosan derivatives. The amount of water‐soluble chitosan derivative bound to cytokine IL‐8 was found to be affected by the structural and electronic features of the chitosan substituents in the chitosan chain. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

FT-IR study on CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> adsorbed species of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> sorbents

The stability of amine-functionalized silica sorbents prepared through the incipient wetness technique with primary, secondary, and tertiary amino organosilanes was investigated. The prepared sorbents were exposed to different gaseous streams including CO₂/N₂, dry CO₂/air with varying concentration, and humid CO₂/air mixtures to demonstrate the effect of the gas conditions on the CO₂ adsorption capacity and the stability of the different amine structures. The primary and secondary amine-functionalized adsorbents exhibited CO₂ sorption capacity, while tertiary amine adsorbent hardly adsorbed any CO₂. The secondary amine adsorbent showed better stability than the primary amine sorbent in all the gas conditions, especially dry conditions. Deactivation species were evaluated using FT-IR spectra, and the presence of urea was confirmed to be the main deactivation product of the primary amine adsorbent under dry condition. Furthermore, it was found that the CO₂ concentration can affect the CO₂ sorption capacity as well as the extent of degradation of sorbents.     

Dry Potassium-Based Sorbents for CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Capture

Dry potassium-based sorbents were prepared by impregnation with potassium carbonate on supports such as activated carbon (AC), TiO₂, Al₂O₃, MgO, CaO, SiO₂ and various zeolites. The CO₂ capture capacity and regeneration property of various sorbents were measured in the presence of H₂O in a fixed bed reactor, during multiple cycles at various temperature conditions (CO₂ absorption at 50–100 °C and regeneration at 130–400 °C). The KAlI30, KCaI30, and KMgI30 sorbents formed new structures such as KAl(CO₃)₂(OH)₂, K₂Ca(CO₃)₂, K₂Mg(CO₃)₂, and K₂Mg(CO₃)₂·4(H₂O), which did not completely convert to the original K₂CO₃ phase at temperatures below 200 °C, during the CO₂ absorption process in the presence of 9 vol.% H₂O. In the case of KACI30, KTiI30, and KZrI30, only a KHCO₃ crystal structure was formed during CO₂ absorption. The formation of active species, K₂CO₃·1.5H₂O, by the pretreatment with water vapor and the formation of the KHCO₃ crystal structure after CO₂ absorption are important factors for absorption and regeneration, respectively, even at low temperatures (130–150 °C). In particular, the KTiI30 sorbent showed excellent characteristics with respect to CO₂ absorption and regeneration in that it satisfies the requirements of a large amount of CO₂ absorption (87 mg CO₂/g sorbent) without the pretreatment with water vapor, unlike KACI30, and a fast and complete regeneration at a low temperature condition (1 atm, 150 °C). In addition, the higher total CO₂ capture capacity of KMgI30 (178.6 mg CO₂/g sorbent) than that of the theoretical value (95 mg CO₂/g sorbent) was explained through the contribution of the absorption ability of MgO support. In this review, we introduce the CO₂ capture capacities and regeneration properties of several potassium-based sorbents, the changes in the physical properties of the sorbents before/after CO₂ absorption, and the role of water vapor and its effects on CO₂ absorption.     

Dual mode model for mixed gas permeation of CO2, H2, and N2 through a dry chitosan membrane

Dry chitosan is an excellent candidate for facilitated transport membranes that can be utilized in industrial applications, such as fuel cell operations and other purification processes. This article is the first to report temperature effects on transport properties of CO₂, H₂, and N₂ in a gas mixture typical of such applications. At a feed pressure of 1.5 atm, CO₂ permeabilities increased (0.381–26.1 barrers) at temperatures of 20–150 °C with decreasing CO₂/N₂ (19.7–4.55) and CO₂/H₂ (3.14–1.71) separation factors. The pressure effect on solubilities and permeabilities were fitted to the extended dual mode model and its corresponding mixed gas permeation model. The dual mode and transport parameters, the sorption heats and the activation energies of Henry's and Langmuir's regimes and their pre‐exponential parameters were determined. The Langmuir's capacity constants were utilized to estimate chitosan's glass transition temperature (CO₂: 172 °C, N₂: 175 °C, and H₂: 171 °C). The activation energies of diffusion in the Henry's law and Langmuir regimes were dependent on the collision diameter of the gases. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2620–2631, 2007