2025 AIChE Annual Meeting

(693h) Advanced Organic Polymers for Efficient Carbon Capture and Liquid Separations

Authors

Yacine Feliachi, West Virginia University
Yi Ren, Georgia Institute of Technology
Johannes Leisen, Georgia Institute of Technology
David C. Calabro, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
M.G. Finn, Georgia Institute of Technology
The growing demand for efficient and sustainable separation technologies spans from mitigating carbon emissions to optimizing industrial chemical and solvent separation processes. Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is crucial for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Advanced organic polymers offer tunable structures, high selectivity, and processability, enhancing carbon capture from concentrated industrial sources and dilute air source as well as both gas and industrial liquid separation performance. In this work, we present the development of novel polymeric materials for efficient CO2 capture and a unique crosslinking methodology applied in an organic polymer for high-performance membrane-based organic solvent separation, offering sustainable alternatives to energy-intensive industrial separation processes.

Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) power plants, which are more efficient than coal-fired plants, can be coupled with CO2 capture facilities to further reduce emissions. We chemically modified the prototypical “polymer with intrinsic microporosity” (PIM-1) with functional groups designed to enhance the ability of the polymer to chemisorb CO2. Through extensive testing under industrial level CO2 concentrations, temperatures and humidity, we showed that this material remains stable and effective over multiple sorption cycles, establishing itself as a promising candidate for large-scale carbon capture from NGCC emission. To gain deeper insights into the adsorption mechanism, the adsorbent was dosed with isotopically labeled CO2, allowing us to identify physisorbed and chemisorbed CO2 species. These findings advance our understanding of sorbent-CO2 chemistry and provide a foundation for developing next-generation polymers with improved selectivity, capacity, and stability for scalable industrial applications.

In addition to carbon capture and gas separations, organic polymers play a crucial role in industrial liquid separations. Energy-intensive industrial separations make a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. Pressure-driven polymer-membrane technology offers more sustainable alternatives, yet face challenges in organic solvent separations, particularly with stability, selectivity and plasticization issues. We developed a novel chemical crosslinking method for a commercially available polyimide which improves the stability and permeability of the membrane. This method allows uniform, homogeneous crosslinking of the polymer after membrane formation and enables efficient separation of multicomponent organic solvent mixtures while maintaining long-term durability. Moreover, the separation characteristics were tunable based on the crosslinker type and concentration, offering a versatile approach for high-performance organic solvent separations.