Separation and Purification Technology, Vol.219, 230-240, 2019
Dynamic modelling and experimental validation of CO2 removal using hydrophobic membrane contactor with different types of absorbent
In this study, a dynamic model was proposed to simulate and validate the profile of carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption using in-house fabricated mixed matrix membrane (MMM) from membrane gas absorption (MGA) contactors. The flat sheet MMM was fabricated by incorporating TS-530 fumed silica nanoparticles into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer matrix. The membrane surface was coated with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) to enhance membrane hydrophobicity and performance. The performance of the membrane on CO2 absorption was tested in the MGA contactor using different types of liquid absorbent; water, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and dimethylamine (DEA). The mass transfer of CO2 through gas phase, membrane and liquid phase was taken into account in the proposed model. The physical and chemical absorption in liquid phase was also considered during the simulation process. Other than Henry's constant of CO2 into the absorbent, the solubility of CO2 in the polymeric membrane was also found to have a significant effect on the CO2 absorption. The simulation results were found to be in agreement with the experimental data of CO2 absorption flux.