Mixed Matrix Membranes based on polymer matrix and nanosized inorganic Fillers for carbon dioxide separation

Dragutin NedeljkoviĆ

Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade, Serbia, dragutin@tmf.bg.ac.rs

aleksandar StajČiĆ

Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade, Serbia, astajcic@tmf.bg.ac.rs

aleksandar grujiĆ

Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade, Serbia, gruja@tmf.bg.ac.rs

Jasna StajiĆ-troŠiĆ

Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade, Serbia, jtrosic@tmf.bg.ac.rs

Mirko StijepoviĆ

Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade, Serbia, mstijepovic@tmf.bg.ac.rs

Abstract: High concentrations of carbon dioxide in atmosphere have significantly influenced natural balance. Therefore, strong efforts are directed to the decrease of the emission of the carbon dioxide from most common combustion processes. One of the possibilities is to construct the membrane that would be highly transparent to the carbon dioxide, but not transparent to the other gases commonly present in the waste gases (oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, methane). Possible designs of the membranes include dense, non-porous membranes, with zeolite particles dispersed in the polymer matrix. Zeolite particles should increase the solubility of the carbon dioxide, and thus enhance its permeability. In this paper, the possibility of application of polyether-b-amide (with 60% of PEG) as a polymer matrix was tested. For the inorganic component, zeolite particles of two different Linde-type zeolites with different pore geometry were tested. Beside variations in zeolite types, application of different additives was also examined in order to provide good contact between the highly polar and charged zeolite inorganic particle, and hydrophobic polymer chains.