NOVEL INORGANIC MEMBRANES FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE CARBON DIOXIDE SEPARATION

Abstract

We studied feasibility of two types of dense inorganic membranes which are fundamentally different from those porous inorganic membranes reported in the literature for separation of carbon dioxide from gas streams at high temperatures. The first is a symmetric, dense membrane made of Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} and the second is a dual-phase metal-carbonate membrane. We have identified a unique CO{sub 2} sorption/desorption mechanism on lithium zirconate. Considering the all obtained data, we proposed a double layer model to describe the CO{sub 2} sorption/desorption behavior of lithium zirconate. In the model, final product after CO{sub 2} sorption is a particle which consists of a ZrO{sub 2} core inside and a Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3} shell. The understanding of CO{sub 2} sorption mechanisms suggests a means to improve CO{sub 2} sorption rate on this group of oxides. It also leads to the conclusion that lithium zirconate is not a suitable material for the proposed dense ceramic membrane for CO{sub 2} separation. Following the second concept of dense membrane for CO{sub 2} separation, we succeeded in preparing the hermetic (gas-tight) dense inorganic membrane consisting of a porous metal phase and a molten carbonate phase. The metal phase not only provides the mechanical support but also is electronically conducting, reducing the overall mass transfer resistance for CO{sub 2} permeation through the membrane. Permeation data showed that nitrogen or helium is not permeable through these membranes (only CO{sub 2}, with O{sub 2}, can permeate through the membrane based on the transport mechanism). This dual-phase membrane may offer promising properties for applications in membrane processes for separation of CO{sub 2} from flue (or coal gasification gas) at high temperatures (350-550 C).