Investigating Hydrocarbon Gases Permeability Through Hollow Fiber Hybrid Carbon Membrane

Abstract

Hydrocarbon separation from natural gases is a critical procedure in the chemical and petrochemical industries. This study used hollow fiber carbon membranes (HFCMs) made from a commercially available co-polyimide, P84, with zeolite-carbon composite (ZCC) as a filler to separate light hydrocarbons like CH4/C3H8 and CH4/C2H6. The Arrhenius technique was used to evaluate the effects of temperature fluctuations (298, 323, and 373 K) on the membrane. X-ray diffraction exhibited a characteristic graphite peak at 2θ ~ 44°, indicating the creation of an effective carbon membrane. SEM investigation revealed the compactness of both pristine and hybrid carbon membrane structures. The operating temperature has a significant influence on the gas penetration through the membrane when evaluating gas permeation. The hybrid carbon membrane has the highest permeability for CH4, C2H6, and C3H8 at 373 K. (81.86, 61.82, and 58.28 Barrer, respectively). The carbon membrane also showed greatest selectivity for CH4/C3H8 and CH4/C2H6 at 323 K (2.24 and 2.04, respectively). Adsorption and surface diffusion were the membrane's transport mechanisms. By adding filler to the membrane, the gas permeability was temperature dependent.