TDA RESEARCH, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 19a

Description

The electricity produced from fossil fuels is essential to the world’s prosperity and security, but the increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations caused by the fossil fuel combustion are implicated in climate change. Although there are several methods for separating CO2 from the flue gases, all have significant drawbacks, including loss of efficiency and increased capital and operating costs that dramatically increase the cost of electricity. TDA Research (TDA) proposes to develop a new inorganic composite membrane with high flux (>1,200 GPUs) and a high selectivity (>100) for removing CO2 from flue gas. Our high flux membrane is produced in a manner that is easily scalable and can be tuned to provide high selectivity and flux even for dilute mixtures. The membrane’s uniform pore size will also exclude potential flue gas impurities such as SO2 and H2S that are larger than N2. Thus, we have the potential to carry out multiple separation steps in a single module. In Phase I we will synthesize various membrane samples and assess their efficacy in flue gas treatment applications such as CO2/N2 separations. We will evaluate the efficacy of these new membranes in a bench-top test unit to determine the separation efficiency (e.g., flux and selectivity). We will assess the impact of key operating parameters on performance (e.g., temperature, pressure) and evaluate the life of the membrane under representative conditions to ensure there is no fouling due to the irreversible adsorption of SO2 and NOx. Based on the results, we will carry out a detailed engineering design and analysis work to finalize the design of the system (complete with 3-dimensional drawings) to estimate the cost. CO2 is a major greenhouse gas and the major source. Most of the load is the result of the combustion of fossil fuels, in particular the burning of coal to generate electricity. The proposed technology will provide a cost-effective way to control CO2 emissions. Due to the well-defined nanostructures, and myriad chemical functionalities, as well as the ability to rationally molecularly-engineer these properties, our membranes can also be applied in other industrial separation processes and petrochemical applications.