The performance of non-porous silicone rubber and microporous hydrophobic polypropylene hollow fibre membranes coupled with liquid absorbent were assessed for the removal of SO2 from a gas stream. This approach combines the advantages of absorption technology (high selectivity) with membrane systems (compactness of equipment). The advantages of such gas absorption membranes were evident in the increased selectivities of both membranes. A mathematical model which incorporates the effective permeabilities of the gases has been developed to simulate the separation process. Numerical simulations agreed well with the experiment. Further investigations were carried out to study the combined removal of CO2 and SO2 and any possible interactive effects of these gases during absorption in these contactors.