SBIR Phase I: Novel Membranes for the Seperation of Carbon Dioxide/Hydrogen Mixtures

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目的重点是开发用于分离二氧化碳/氢气混合物的高性能膜。作为氢气生产过程的一部分，这种分离在每个炼油厂都大规模地进行。目前最好的技术是胺吸收或变压吸附，两者都是昂贵的能源密集型工艺。待开发的膜是基于橡胶，高度亲水性聚醚-聚酰胺嵌段共聚物。初步数据表明，该膜对极性/非极性气体混合物（如二氧化碳/氢气）的分离具有特别的选择性。一期项目将首次定量评估聚醚-聚酰胺嵌段共聚物的气体输运性能，用于这一重要的工业应用。为了证明该方法的可行性，新的聚合物将在实验室规模上制成薄膜复合膜。第二阶段，如果成功，将开发技术，在商业规模上制造薄膜复合膜和模块，并在中试规模系统中评估模块。与传统疏水聚合物相比，高性能的亲水橡胶聚合物具有更高的选择性和更高的透气性，可以对许多极性/非极性气体分离应用产生重大影响，例如从氢气中去除二氧化碳。这些新型聚合物在薄膜复合膜和组件中的可用性将大大提高工艺经济性，并使膜系统在这些应用中与传统分离方法竞争。

9560908 Pinnau This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on the development of high-performance membranes for the separation of carbon dioxide/hydrogen mixtures. This separation is performed on a massive scale in every refinery as part of the production process for hydrogen. Current best technologies are amine absorption or pressure swing adsorption, both expensive, energy-intensive processes. The membranes to be developed are based on rubbery, highly hydrophilic polyether-polyamide block copolymers. Preliminary data show that the membranes are exceptionally selective for the separation of polar/nonpolar gas mixtures such as carbon dioxide/hydrogen. The Phase I project will be the first quantitative evaluation of the gas transport properties of polyether-polyamide block copolymers for this industrially important application. To demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, the new polymers will be made into thin-film composite membranes on a laboratory scale. Phase II, if successful, will develop techniques to make thin-film composite membranes and modules on a commercial scale, and evaluate the modules in pilot scale systems. High-performance, hydrophilic rubbery polymers that exhibit higher selectivity and higher gas permeability than conventional hydrophobic polymers could have a significant impact on many polar/nonpolar gas separation applications, such as the removal of carbon dioxide from hydrogen. Availability of these novel polymers in thin-film composite membranes and modules would dramatically improve the process economics and make membrane systems competitive with conventional separation methods in these applications.