Recent Development of Enhanced Polymeric Blend Membranes in Gas Separation: A Review

Natural gas is the most rapid growing energy sources around the world. The presence of CO2 in natural gas lowers its calorific value and purification of a natural gas by removing CO2 is an essential process to increase its value. Several separation technologies are used to remove acidic gases like H2S and CO2 from natural gas. Among these technologies, membrane process is a feasible energy saving alternate to CO2 capture. The three types of membrane include polymeric, inorganic and mixed matrix membranes. Currently, polymer membranes and inorganic membranes were considered for gas separation, but inorganic membranes are too costly. Even mixed matrix membrane performance suffered defects caused by poor glassy polymer and particle interactions. Pure glassy and pure rubbery are problematic due to their instructive properties. The blending of glassy with rubbery polymers improve membrane properties for gas separation. To enhance the compatibility of the polymer blend, a third component is added such as alkanol amines. Although, the enhanced polymeric blend membranes have many advantages in terms of permeance, selectivity, thermal and chemical stability. Polymer blending also offers an effective technique to synthesize membranes with desirable properties.

Download Full-text

Membranes for Gas Separation Current Development and Challenges

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.773-774.1085 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 773-774 ◽

pp. 1085-1090 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Norwahyu Jusoh ◽

Yin Fong Yeong ◽

Kok Keong Lau ◽

Mohd Shariff Azmi

Keyword(s):

Gas Separation ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Membrane Technology ◽

Polymeric Membrane ◽

Inorganic Membrane ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Separation Performance ◽

Inorganic Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix

—A new bang of natural gas demand has opened up the opportunities towards the utilization of membrane technology for the purification process.The advantages in terms of smaller footprint, lower weight, minimum utility requirement and low labor intensity make them appropriate for wide scale applications. Polymeric membrane is one of the greatest emerging fields in membrane material development. Nevertheless, the separation performance of the existing polymeric materials were reached a limit in the trade-off between permeability and selectivity. The development of inorganic material gives a significance improvement in membrane performance but it outrageously expensive for many applications and having complicated procedure during fabrication process have limit the application of inorganic membrane in gas separation. Thus, a rapid demand in membrane technology for gas separation and the effort toward seeking the membranes with higher permeability and selectivity has motivated the development of mixed matrix membrane. Mixed matrix membrane (MMM) which incorporating inorganic fillers in a polymer matrix is expected to overcome the limitations of the polymeric and inorganic membranes. Apart from an overview of the different membrane materials for gas separation, this paper also highlights the development of mixed matrix membrane and challenges in fabrication of mixed matrix membranes.

Download Full-text

Multiple Amine-Contained POSS-Functionalized Organosilica Membranes for Gas Separation

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11030194 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 194

Author(s):

Xiuxiu Ren ◽

Masakoto Kanezashi ◽

Meng Guo ◽

Rong Xu ◽

Jing Zhong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Separation ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Separation Performance ◽

Hybrid Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Translation Model ◽

Good Thermal Stability ◽

Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

A new polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) designed with eight –(CH2)3–NH–(CH2)2–NH2 groups (PNEN) at its apexes was used as nanocomposite uploading into 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE)-derived organosilica to prepare mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for gas separation. The mixtures of BTESE-PNEN were uniform with particle size of around 31 nm, which is larger than that of pure BTESE sols. The characterization of thermogravimetric (TG) and gas permeance indicates good thermal stability. A similar amine-contained material of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was doped into BTESE to prepare hybrid membranes through a copolymerized strategy as comparison. The pore size of the BTESE-PNEN membrane evaluated through a modified gas-translation model was larger than that of the BTESE-APTES hybrid membrane at the same concentration of additions, which resulted in different separation performance. The low values of Ep(CO2)-Ep(N2) and Ep(N2) for the BTESE-PNEN membrane at a low concentration of PNEN were close to those of copolymerized BTESE-APTES-related hybrid membranes, which illustrates a potential CO2 separation performance by using a mixed matrix membrane strategy with multiple amine POSS as particles.

Download Full-text

Matrimid®/polysulfone blend mixed matrix membranes containing ZIF-8 nanoparticles for high pressure stability in natural gas separation

Separation and Purification Technology ◽

10.1016/j.seppur.2017.07.075 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 189 ◽

pp. 90-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Salman Shahid ◽

Kitty Nijmeijer

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Natural Gas ◽

Gas Separation ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Pressure Stability ◽

Matrix Membranes

Download Full-text

Carbon Nanotubes Based Mixed Matrix Membrane for Gas Separation

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.364.272 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 364 ◽

pp. 272-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

S.M. Sanip ◽

A.F. Ismail ◽

P.S. Goh ◽

M.N.A. Norrdin ◽

T. Soga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Gas Separation ◽

Polymer Matrix ◽

Current Trend ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Separation Performance ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Polyimide Membrane

Mixed matrix membranes (MMM) combine useful molecular sieving properties of inorganic fillers with the desirable mechanical and processing properties of polymers. The current trend in polymeric membranes is the incorporation of filler-like nanoparticles to improve the separation performance. Most MMM have shown higher gas permeabilities and improved gas selectivities compared to the corresponding pure polymer membranes. Carbon nanotubes based mixed matrix membrane was prepared by the solution casting method in which the functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f-MWNTs) were embedded into the polyimide membrane and the resulting membranes were characterized. The effect of nominal MWNTs content between 0.5 and 1.0 wt% on the gas separation properties were looked into. The as-prepared membranes were characterized for their morphology using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The morphologies of the MMM also indicated that at 0.7 % loading of f-MWNTs, the structures of the MMM showed uniform finger-like structures which have facilitated the fast gas transport through the polymer matrix. It may also be concluded that addition of open ended and shortened MWNTs to the polymer matrix can improve its permeability by increasing diffusivity through the MWNTs smooth cavity.

Download Full-text

Synthesis of polyethersulfone (PES)/GO-SiO2 mixed matrix membranes for oily wastewater treatment

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2019.347 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 81 (7) ◽

pp. 1354-1364 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Maryam B. Alkindy ◽

Vincenzo Naddeo ◽

Fawzi Banat ◽

Shadi W. Hasan

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Water Flux ◽

Oil Refinery ◽

Membrane Properties ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Oily Wastewater ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Phase Inversion Technique ◽

Oily Wastewater Treatment

Abstract The treatment of oily wastewater continues to pose a challenge in industries worldwide. Membranes have been investigated recently for their use in oily wastewater treatment due to their efficiency and relatively facile operational process. Graphene oxide (GO) and silica (SiO2) nanoparticles have been found to improve membrane properties. In this study, a polyethersulfone (PES) based GO-SiO2 mixed matrix membrane (MMM) was fabricated, using the phase inversion technique, for the treatment of oil refinery wastewater. The PES/GO-SiO2 membrane exhibited the highest water flux (2,561 LMH) and a 38% increase in oil removal efficiency by comparison to a PES membrane. Compared to PES/GO and PES/SiO2 membranes, the PES/GO-SiO2 MMM also displayed the best overall properties in terms of tensile strength, water permeability, and hydrophilicity.

Download Full-text

Polymer-Nanoclay Mixed Matrix Membranes for CO2/CH4 Separation: A Review

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.625.690 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 625 ◽

pp. 690-695 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Asif Jamil ◽

Oh Pei Ching ◽

Azmi Mohd Shariff

Keyword(s):

Clay Minerals ◽

Gas Separation ◽

Polymer Matrix ◽

Layered Silicate ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Significant Progress ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Silicate Structure ◽

Inorganic Fillers

Mixed matrix membrane (MMM) has shown significant progress towards gas separation. Rigid polymers are suitable materials for MMM fabrication but adhesion problems with filler need to be addressed. A variety of inorganic fillers have been studied for CO2 separation but clay minerals were not considered much in this class. The layered silicate structure of nanoclay such as montmorillonite provides excellent opportunity to manipulate its properties, leading towards better dispersion and adhesion towards the polymer matrix. This paper reviews the potential of polymer-nanoclay MMM for CO2/CH4 separation.

Download Full-text

Pre-combustion gas separation by ZIF-8-polybenzimidazole mixed matrix membranes in the form of hollow fibres—long-term experimental study

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.210660 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 210660

Author(s):

Adelaida Perea-Cachero ◽

Miren Etxeberría-Benavides ◽

Oana David ◽

Adam Deacon ◽

Timothy Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Separation ◽

Hollow Fibre ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Combustion Gas ◽

Hollow Fibres ◽

Operation Conditions ◽

Matrix Membranes

Polybenzimidazole (PBI) is a promising and suitable membrane polymer for the separation of the H 2 /CO 2 pre-combustion gas mixture due to its high performance in terms of chemical and thermal stability and intrinsic H 2 /CO 2 selectivity. However, there is a lack of long-term separation studies with this polymer, particularly when it is conformed as hollow fibre membrane. This work reports the continuous measurement of the H 2 /CO 2 separation properties of PBI hollow fibres, prepared as mixed matrix membranes with metal-organic framework (MOF) ZIF-8 as filler. To enhance the scope of the experimental approach, ZIF-8 was synthesized from the transformation of ZIF-L upon up-scaling the MOF synthesis into a 1 kg batch. The effects of membrane healing with poly(dimethylsiloxane), to avoid cracks and non-selective gaps, and operation conditions (use of sweep gas or not) were also examined at 200°C during approximately 51 days. In these conditions, for all the membrane samples studied, the H 2 permeance was in the 22–47 GPU range corresponding to 22–32 H 2 /CO 2 selectivity values. Finally, this work continues our previous report on this type of application (Etxeberria-Benavides et al . 2020 Sep. Purif. Technol. 237 , 116347 ( doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2019.116347 )) with important novelties dealing with the use of ZIF-8 for the mixed matrix membrane coming from a green methodology, the long-term gas separation testing for more than 50 days and the study on the membrane operation under more realistic conditions (e.g. without the use of sweep gas).

Download Full-text

A Novel Composite Material UiO-66@HNT/Pebax Mixed Matrix Membranes for Enhanced CO2/N2 Separation

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11090693 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 693

Author(s):

Fei Guo ◽

Bingzhang Li ◽

Rui Ding ◽

Dongsheng Li ◽

Xiaobin Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Composite Material ◽

Gas Separation ◽

Halloysite Nanotubes ◽

Gas Permeation ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Separation Performance ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Transport Pathways ◽

Gas Separation Performance

Mixing a polymer matrix and nanofiller to prepare a mixed matrix membrane (MMM) is an effective method for enhancing gas separation performance. In this work, a unique UiO-66-decorated halloysite nanotubes composite material (UiO-66@HNT) was successfully synthesized via a solvothermal method and dispersed into the Pebax-1657 matrix to prepare MMMs for CO2/N2 separation. A remarkable characteristic of this MMM was that the HNT lumen provided the highway for CO2 diffusion due to the unique affinity of UiO-66 for CO2. Simultaneously, the close connection of the UiO-66 layer on the external surface of HNTs created relatively continuous pathways for gas permeation. A suite of microscopy, diffraction, and thermal techniques was used to characterize the morphology and structure of UiO-66@HNT and the membranes. As expected, the embedding UiO-66@HNT composite materials significantly improved the separation performances of the membranes. Impressively, the as-obtained membrane acquired a high CO2 permeability of 119.08 Barrer and CO2/N2 selectivity of 76.26. Additionally, the presence of UiO-66@HNT conferred good long-term stability and excellent interfacial compatibility on the MMMs. The results demonstrated that the composite filler with fast transport pathways designed in this study was an effective strategy to enhance gas separation performance of MMMs, verifying its application potential in the gas purification industry.

Download Full-text

Interfacial Design of Mixed Matrix Membranes via Grafting PVA on UiO-66-NH2 to Enhance the Gas Separation Performance

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11060419 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 419

Author(s):

Saeed Ashtiani ◽

Mehdi Khoshnamvand ◽

Chhabilal Regmi ◽

Karel Friess

Keyword(s):

Gas Separation ◽

Reversible Reaction ◽

Mixed Matrix Membranes ◽

Mixed Matrix Membrane ◽

Poly Vinyl Alcohol ◽

Separation Performance ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Mixed Matrix ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Covalent Interaction

In this study, defect-free facilitated transport mixed matrix membrane (MMM) with high loading amount of UiO-66-NH2 nanoparticles as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) was fabricated. The MOFs were covalently bonded with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to incorporate into a poly (vinyl amine) (PVAm) matrix solution. A uniform UiO-66-NH2 dispersion up to 55 wt.% was observed without precipitation and agglomeration after one month. This can be attributed to the high covalent interaction at interfaces of UiO-66-NH2 and PVAm, which was provided by PVA as a functionalized organic linker. The CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 and selectivity were significantly enhanced for the fabricated MMM by using optimal fabrication parameters. This improvement in gas performance is due to the strong impact of solubility and decreasing diffusion in obtained dense membrane to promote CO2 transport with a bicarbonate reversible reaction. Therefore, the highest amount of amine functional groups of PVAm among all polymers, plus the abundant amount of amines from UiO-66-NH2, facilitated the preferential CO2 permeation through the bicarbonate reversible reaction between CO2 and –NH2 in humidified conditions. XRD and FTIR were employed to study the MMM chemical structure and polymers–MOF particle interactions. Cross-sectional and surface morphology of the MMM was observed by SEM-EDX and 3D optical profilometer to detect the dispersion of MOFs into the polymer matrix and explore their interfacial morphology. This approach can be extended for a variety of polymer–filler interfacial designs for gas separation applications.

Download Full-text