Membrane screening and development for CO2 absorption in a membrane contactor

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The International Test Centre for CO2 Capture (ITC) at the University of Regina conducts research to develop technology that can capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources economically.  Since CO2 is a greenhouse gas, this is an important global issue that needs further research. Traditionally, CO2 is absorbed from flues gas using packed columns.  These columns tend to be very large and expensive to operate.  Recently, membrane contactors have emerged as a promising technology.  Research at the ITC has shown that membrane contactors can perform better than packed columns.  Therefore, we feel that this relatively new technology has the potential to make a significant contribution in the area of gas treating.  Smaller, more efficient membrane contactors could one day replace the large and expensive packed columns that are currently used in industry. In order for membrane contactors to be successful, research is needed to address membrane stability.  Currently, membranes are wetted by the absorption solvents, leading to a loss of performance.  This research program is focused on thee tasks in an effort to develop affordable membranes that resist wetting.  In Task 1 we are analyzing various membrane-solvent relationships to identify system characteristics that optimize performance.  Task 2 is devoted to manufacturing flat and hollow fibre membranes that possess these desirable characteristics.  These membranes are then tested in membrane contactors in Task 3 to assess the overall performance of the system, and compare the CO2 capture results with existing packed column technology.  The long-term goal of this work is to develop a pilot-plant scale membrane contactor that can be tested in an industrial setting.