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Composite membranes of graphene oxide for CO 2 /CH 4 separation
Author(s) -
Norahim Nadia,
Faungnawakij Kajornsak,
Quitain Armando T,
Klaysom Chalida
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.5999
Subject(s) - permeance , biogas , methane , membrane , materials science , chemical engineering , gas separation , hydrogen sulfide , hydrogen , oxide , waste management , chemistry , permeation , organic chemistry , metallurgy , biochemistry , sulfur , engineering
Abstract BACKGROUND Biogas is an alternative renewable energy produced by anaerobic digestion of various organic wastes mainly from agriculture, households and biomass and food industries. Typically, raw biogas consists of 50–70% methane (CH 4 ), 30–50% carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and small amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and water vapour. Purifying biogas by removing CO 2 and other trace impurities is required in order to achieve higher calorific value, safe operation and to meet fuel standards. As CO 2 is the second largest component of biogas, this study focused on its removal from CH 4 . RESULTS Composite membranes of blended PEG 400/Pebax 1657 polymer and graphene oxide (GO) were developed for CO 2 /CH 4 gas separation. The effects of GO loading and PEG 400 addition on CO 2 /CH 4 separation performance were investigated. Optimal loadings of 0.25 wt% GO and 50 wt% PEG 400 obtained the best membrane performance with 12.4 GPU of CO 2 permeance and 14 of CO 2 /CH 4 separation factor. CONCLUSION Incorporating GO to the polymer membrane enhanced CO 2 /CH 4 separation, whereas PEG 400 addition increased CO 2 permeance. The advantages from each component led to an enhancement of CO 2 permeance and CO 2 /CH 4 separation. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry