Mixed Matrix Membranes for Gas and Liquid Separation Applications

该提案将着眼于吸附和膜系统的基本原理的应用，将这些过程结合起来用于分离应用，通过研究可再生能源来提高我们社会的可持续性。我在本研究计划中将研究的分离技术可应用于从垃圾产生的垃圾填埋气生产天然气，以及从农业副产品生产生物丁醇以将其混入汽油中。对于填埋气的应用，我将研究甲烷、二氧化碳和氮气的分离。对于生物丁醇的生产，我将考虑在发酵罐中将其从液相中的发酵液中分离出来。 本提案的主要目的是设计基于混合基质膜（MMM）材料的膜分离系统，在其结构中使用吸附剂和聚合物。该研究计划将从吸附剂和聚合物筛选实验开始，这些实验将进行以确定用于制备混合基质膜（MMM）的潜在材料。在MMM结构中含有不同吸附剂材料和聚合物的这些不同膜的分离特性将在不同操作条件下以及在MMM结构中的吸附剂和聚合物的不同分数下确定。机械模型将被开发，以提高我们的质量传递机制，发生在气相和液相中的这些分离过程的理解。 我将能够使用多年来获得的吸附和膜系统的基本知识，设计MMM材料，以提高其在分离中的适用性，使我们的社会更具可持续性。2位博士学生和1个硕士学生将参加这项研究计划，以及每年2名本科合作学生。 在这项研究中获得的结果将显着推进我们的膜分离过程的知识。这将使上述分离系统在经济上更加可行。如果从农副产品中获得的生物丁醇用于汽车工业，而不是汽油，那么社会对化石燃料的使用将大大减少。此外，如果天然气，主要是甲烷气体，是从垃圾填埋场的气体，而不是从化石燃料，我们的社会将是一个更可持续的。

This proposal will look at the application of the fundamentals of adsorption and membrane systems, to the combination of these processes for the separation applications that will improve the sustainability of our society by looking at renewable energy sources. The separations that I will look at in this research program have applications in production of natural gas from landfill gas that is produced by garbage, and production of bio-butanol from agricultural by-products for it to be blended into gasoline. For the landfill gas application, I will study separation of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases. For the production of bio-butanol, I will consider its separation from the fermentation broth in the liquid phase in the fermenter. Major objective of this proposal is to design membrane separation systems based on mixed matrix membrane (MMM) materials using adsorbents and polymers in their structure. This research program will start with adsorbent and polymer screening experiments that will be carried out to determine the potential materials to be used for the preparation of mixed matrix membranes (MMM's). Separation characteristics of these different membranes containing different adsorbent materials and polymers in the MMM's structure will be determined at different operating conditions, as well as at different fractions of adsorbents and polymers in the MMM structure. Mechanistic models will be developed to improve our understanding of the mass transfer mechanisms that take place with these separation processes in the gas and in the liquid phases. I will be able to use the fundamental knowledge of adsorption and membrane systems that I gained over the years, to the design of MMM materials, to improve their applicability in separations that will make our society more sustainable. 2 Ph.D. students and 1 M.A.Sc. student will take part in this research program, as well as 2 undergraduate Co-op students per year. The results obtained in this study will significantly advance our knowledge of membrane separation processes. It will make the above mentioned separation systems more economically viable. If bio-butanol obtained from agricultural by-products is used in automotive industry, instead of gasoline, the use of fossil fuels in society will reduce substantially. Also, if natural gas, which is mostly the methane gas, is obtained from landfill gas, instead of from fossil fuels, our society will be a more sustainable one.