STTR Phase I: Three Dimensional (3D) Printed Mixed Matrix Membranes for Biogas Upgrading

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是降低沼气升级的新膜制造技术的风险。 可再生天然气（RNG）作为碳中性能源是有吸引力的，因为它来自有机废物，如食品废物，农业废物和城市生物固体。可再生天然气是沼气的一部分，需要从二氧化碳中分离出成本和能源效益。 该公司开发了一种增材制造技术，可以制造高性能膜，从而实现低成本的沼气升级。 这些膜提供了能源和系统设计的好处比更传统的分离技术生产的RNG。膜印刷方法可能会导致最好的再生天然气生产膜的生产，并可能使碳捕获和利用沼气来源。这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目旨在展示生产混合基质膜（MMM）组成的聚醚嵌段酰胺聚合物和zif 8沸石。 所提出的方法使用基于电喷雾的增材制造来精确控制膜厚度和沸石负载，从而允许定制用于沼气升级的膜特性。此外，增材制造或印刷方法能够使沸石的负载量超过常规铸造技术，而不会形成会降低选择性的缺陷。 该项目的目标包括量化最大沸石负载量，同时避免损失选择性。该公司将生产面积达1平方英尺的小型膜叶，并使用混合气体测试证明整个叶片的一致性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact /commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to derisk a new membrane manufacturing technology for biogas upgrading. Renewable natural gas (RNG) is attractive as a carbon neutral energy source as it is derived from organic wastes such as food waste, agricultural waste, and municipal biosolids. RNG is part of biogas and requires cost- and energy-effective separation from carbon dioxide. The company has developed an additive manufacturing technology that enables the fabrication of high performance membranes to enable lower cost biogas upgrading. These membranes offer energy and system design benefits over more traditional separations technologies for the production of RNG. The membrane printing approach may lead to the production of best-in-class membranes for RNG production and could enable carbon capture and utilization from biogas sources.This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to demonstrate the production of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) comprised of polyether block amide polymer and zif8 zeolite. The proposed method uses electrospray based additive manufacturing to precisely control membrane thickness and zeolite loading, allowing customized membrane properties for biogas upgrading. Furthermore, the additive manufacturing, or printing, method enables increased loading of the zeolite over conventional casting techniques without the formation of defects that would lessen selectivity. The goals of the project include quantification of the maximum zeolite loading while avoiding loss of selectivity. The company will produce small membrane leaves up to 1 ft2 in area and demonstrate consistent performance across the leaf using mixed gas testing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.