(377b) In-Situ Formation of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles in Polymer Hollow Fiber Sorbents for CO2/N2 Gas Separation

The concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere continues to increase at an accelerating rate because of anthropogenic emissions.  CO₂ is the largest anthropogenic contributor to global warming [1]. Post-combustion carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been proposed as a method for reducing CO₂ emissions [1,2]. Hollow fiber sorbents are pseudo monolithic materials with the polymer as the ‘binder’, impregnated with high loadings of selective solid adsorbent particles as ‘fillers’. It is desired to optimize the fiber sorbent geometry and operation to achieve a higher surface area for a given bed volume, minimize pressure drop and maximize the mass and heat transfer. We had developed a novel technique for preparing polymeric hollow fiber adsorbents containing class 1 amine (poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)) adsorbents [3,4]. In this new approach to extend the prior work, polymeric hollow fiber sorbents were formed by using commercial polymer and silica particles were created by an in-situ process. This approach resulted in silica/polymer composite fibers with good amine distribution and accessibility after infusion with PEI, as well as adequate porosity. Moreover, the in-situ formed particles appear to be firmly retained within the fibers and enable rapid mass transfer and adsorption kinetics. Therefore, through this process a low-cost method of fabricating and engineering the amine/silica/polymer hollow fiber sorbents will be described using the new in-situ silica formation/infusion technique and shown to provide a high CO₂ equilibrium capacity from simulated flue gas.

References:

1. B. Smit, J.A. Reimer, C.m. Oldenburg, I.C. Bourg, "Introduction to carbon capture and sequestration", Vol. 1, ICP 2014.
2. C. Azar, K. Lindgren, E. Larson, K. Mollersten, Clim. Change 74 (2006) 47-79.
3. F. Rezaei, R. P. Lively, Y. Labreche, G. Chen, Y. Fan, W. J. Koros, and C. W. Jones, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 5 (2013) 3921-3931.
4. Y. Labreche, R.P. Lively, F. Rezaei, G. Chen, C.W. Jones, W.J. Koros, Chem. Eng. J., 221 (2013)166-175.