Membrane screening and development for CO2 absorption in a membrane contactor

里贾纳大学的国际二氧化碳捕集测试中心（ITC）进行研究，以开发可以经济地从工业来源捕集二氧化碳（CO2）的技术。 由于二氧化碳是一种温室气体，这是一个重要的全球性问题，需要进一步研究。传统上，使用填充柱从烟道气中吸收CO2。 这些柱往往非常大并且操作起来昂贵。 近年来，膜接触器已成为一种有前途的技术。 ITC的研究表明，膜接触器的性能优于填充柱。 因此，我们认为这种相对较新的技术有可能在气体处理领域做出重大贡献。 更小、更高效的膜接触器有一天可以取代目前工业中使用的大型和昂贵的填充柱。为了使膜接触器获得成功，需要研究解决膜稳定性。 目前，膜被吸收溶剂润湿，导致性能损失。 这项研究计划的重点是在努力开发负担得起的抗润湿膜的任务。 在任务1中，我们分析了各种膜-溶剂关系，以确定优化性能的系统特性。 任务2致力于制造具有这些理想特性的扁平和中空纤维膜。 然后在任务3中的膜接触器中对这些膜进行测试，以评估系统的整体性能，并将CO2捕获结果与现有的填充柱技术进行比较。 这项工作的长期目标是开发一个中试规模的膜接触器，可以在工业环境中进行测试。

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.