(22a) Development of a Membrane Process to Capture CO2 Emissions from Industrial Processes.

At the end of World War II, worldwide CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels were approximately 5 billion tons per year, since then, emissions have grown sevenfold to 35 billion tons per year. As a consequence, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have grown from preindustrial levels of 270 ppm to approximately 420 ppm. This increased CO2 concentration has caused global temperatures to rise by an average of 1°C. Without emissions mitigation, global temperatures will continue to increase, probably by as much as 1 to 2°C over the next 20 to 30 years. Climate changes of this magnitude will alter life on this planet.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to the process of separating the main greenhouse gas CO2 from point source emission and permanently sequestering the CO2 in geological formations. It is considered a key tool for reducing global carbon emissions. In particular, because CCS can cut carbon emissions from persistent industrial sources that have no other decarbonization options, CCS is required to achieve the emissions reduction targets set by the international community.

A number of companies are developing carbon capture technology. The first-generation carbon capture technology is chemical absorption (amine scrubbing). It is technically capable, but has several negative attributes including high cost and environmental concerns that drive customers to seek alternatives. Membrane separation is technology that has a number of advantages; including simple design, no hazardous chemicals that can cause handling and emission issues, recovery of flue gas water, and the potential to run on renewable electricity. For more than a decade MTR has been working with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop membrane technology to separate CO2 from flue gas emissions. In this talk this development program will be described and the current status of the technology discussed.