Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR), in partnership with the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo), will develop composite membranes with transformational performance to reduce the cost of post-combustion carbon capture. In previous work, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), MTR developed a membrane-based carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology that includes the high-performance MTR Polaris™ membrane, advanced low-pressure-drop modules, and a patented selective recycle membrane design. This project builds upon the previous work and consists of two parallel technology development efforts. The first effort replaces the conventional porous supports used in composite membranes with novel isoporous supports that have higher surface porosity and many small pores improving membrane permeance. The second effort aims to increase the mixed-gas selectivity of MTR’s Polaris membrane by utilizing recent materials work conducted at SUNY Buffalo. Laboratory-scale isoporous support-based composite membrane modules will be tested at MTR. A bench-scale skid will be constructed, and the modules will be tested at the National Carbon Capture Center with coal-fired flue gas.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Hans Wijmans
hans.wijmans@mtrinc.com
Project Benefits
The use of a novel isoporous support in place of a conventional porous support enables CO2 permeance at least double that of commercial Polaris membranes (as high as 4,000 gas permeation units), reducing the required membrane area, thus lowering the capital cost. Further, the use of a novel selective layer material enables composite membranes to exhibit higher CO2/nitrogen selectivity, resulting in lower operating costs. These advancements in membrane performance enable a reduction in the overall cost of carbon capture for MTR’s membrane-based process to less than $30/tonne CO2 and support DOE's goal to develop a transformational technology for a coal-fired power plant with CO2 capture with 95 percent CO2 purity.
