Abstract
Chemical absorption of carbon dioxide from flue or natural gas in hollow-fiber membrane contactors (HFMCs) has been one of the most beneficial techniques to alleviate its emission into the environment. A theoretical research study was done to investigate the change in membrane specifications and operating conditions on CO2 absorption using different alkanolamine solvents. The mathematical model was developed for a parallel counter-current fluid flow through a HFMC. The developed model’s equations were solved based on finite element method. The simulations revealed that the increase in membrane porosity, length and the number of fibers has a positive impact on CO2 removal, while the gas flow rate and tortuosity enhancement resulted in the reduction of CO2 absorption. Furthermore, it was found that 4-diethylamino-2-butanol (DEAB) with approximately 100% CO2 absorption is suggested as the best solvent in this system, but ethyl-ethanolamine (EEA) with only 46% CO2 absorption had the lowest capacity for CO2 absorption (DEAB>MEA>EDA>MDEA>TEA>EEA). It is worth pointing out that the CO2 absorption can be improved using EEA solvent via change in membrane specifications such as increase in membrane porosity, length and the number of fibres.
Highlights
The world’s economy is highly dependent on fossil fuels and its consumption has significantly increased worldwide due to increasing in energy demands and it has caused the enhanced level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)
The carbon dioxide concentration declines gradually as it is transferred in the contactor, it should be noticed that the alteration in CO2 concentration is considerably dependent on the type of solvent in the shell part of the module. 4-diethylamino-2-butanol (DEAB), as a new tertiary amine, showed a promising potential for CO2 absorption compared to other ones used in this study
Polypropylene is applied as the prominent material of porous membrane to determine the performance of the contactor system for CO2 absorption using different solvents
Summary
The world’s economy is highly dependent on fossil fuels and its consumption has significantly increased worldwide due to increasing in energy demands and it has caused the enhanced level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The enhancement of atmospheric CO2 and its influence on environment, temperature, and earth’s ecosystem have been clear in the late decades [1,2,3]. The reduction of carbon dioxide emission becomes a critical issue. In order to reduce CO2 emission and alleviate its adverse effects, a number of techniques have been implemented and developed including chemical or physical adsorption [4], absorption [5], cryogenic [6] and membrane technology [7, 8].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
