Experimental evaluation on the CO2 separation process supported by polymeric membranes

Planar polymeric membranes with hydrophilic, hydrophobic and composite (coupled or thermowelded) structures have been prepared and tested in an experimental lab-scale plant by using different liquid absorbents (amines, carbonate, H2O) as "carrier" with the aim to optimize the process of CO2 separation from other gas. The effect of nature of the membranes, differential pressure between gas/liquid phases and type and concentration of the absorbent were investigated as well as the carrier transport mechanism. The best performances (in terms of CO2 permeability) have been determined for coupled membranes. Moreover, the experimental results have shown that, between the studied carriers, the 2-etanolamine is the type of adsorbent with the greater affinity toward the CO2. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.