(200d) Asymmetric Hollow Fiber Membrane from Torlon®, a Polyamide–Imide Polymer, for Supercritical CO2 Separations

Asymmetric hollow fiber membranes provide economical and environmental friendly separations compared to conventional separations (e.g. distillation). They have been widely used in various applications such as nitrogen enrichment and natural gas purification. One of the current challenges of polymeric membrane technology is to provide separations in aggressive supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) conditions. Under these conditions, CO₂ plasticizes the membrane and reduces its separation characteristics. To withstand such a plasticization effect, we have chosen Torlon® as the membrane material because of its ability to form intra/inter chain hydrogen bonding. Spinning a defect free hollow fiber membrane from Torlon®, and the effects of scCO₂ on its performance will be illustrated.