(380o) Advancing Membrane Technology for CO2 Capture and Acid Gas Enrichment

Natural gas is pivotal for fostering economic growth and diversification within the oil and gas sector in the forthcoming decades. With its lower carbon emissions compared to coal or oil, natural gas holds promise in mitigating global carbon footprints until widespread adoption of “zero-carbon” technologies. However, over 40% of world’s natural gas resources are sour, with H₂S concentration exceeding 30 mol% in some regions. Conventional amine absorption processes, while effective to remove CO₂ and H₂S in a sour gas before introducing it to sulfur recovery complex (Claus unit), are hindered by high costs, energy demands, and limited H₂S enrichment capabilities. This necessitates the development of cost-effective processes capable of reliably enriching H₂S from sour gases. Our research center has focused on designing innovative membrane structures and optimizing their performances under industrial operation conditions for separating H₂S from CO₂-rich feed streams. This presentation will highlight our recent advancements, emphasizing the influence of polymer structures on permeation properties. Particularly, we will discuss the synthesis of novel H2S-selective rubbery membranes tailored for CO₂ capture and H₂S enrichment, signaling a promising avenue for practical application of advanced membrane materials.