Scale-up of PEEK hollow fiber membrane contactor for post-combustion CO2 capture:

Abstract Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) hollow fiber membrane modules were scaled up from 2 in. diameter and 16 in. long to 4 in. diameter and 58 in. long (a factor of 90 increase in membrane area) for CO 2 capture from flue gases using a membrane contactor process, which combines advantageous features of both absorption and membrane processes. Field tests of a 4-in.-diameter module with activated methyldiethanolamine (aMDEA) solvent demonstrated greater than 90% CO 2 removal. The mass transfer coefficient in the absorption step was 1.2 (s) −1 , which is over an order of magnitude greater than that of conventional column contactors. The membrane module was further scaled up from 4 in. to 8 in. diameter (a factor of 3 increase in membrane area). Single-gas permeation measurements indicated that 8-in. modules have an intrinsic CO 2 permeance as high as 2150–2670 GPU. One 8-in.-diameter module was tested in membrane contactor mode for CO 2 capture using a simulated flue gas. Carbon dioxide removal rate of 91.3% was achieved with a mass transfer coefficient of 1.5 (s) −1 . Parametric tests indicated CO 2 flux and capture rate increased with increasing feed pressure, solvent flow velocity and solvent temperature. PEEK hollow fiber membrane contactor is effective in capturing CO 2 from low CO 2 -concentration feeds, showing its high potential for coal or natural gas flue gas CO 2 capture.