A Highly Permeable Aligned Montmorillonite Mixed-Matrix Membrane for CO2 Separation

Clay membranes to remove CO₂ from factory exhaust fumes

24 February 2017

A clay and polymer-based membrane material developed by researchers in China may be the key to efficient separation of carbon dioxide from industrial exhaust.

Taking CO₂ out of exhaust pumped out by factories can reduce the level of harmful greenhouse gases entering the environment, but its removal can be energy intensive. Using a selective membrane made of a porous material, such as clay, can make the process more efficient.

A team including researchers from the Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering in Tianjin, China, have developed a multilayered membrane material, based on polymers and a special type of clay called montmorillonite, for selective CO₂ separation.

The channels created in the material contain OH groups that interact with CO₂, making it much easier for the compound to pass through the membrane at high speeds and separate from other gases in exhaust mixtures.

Removing CO₂from gas mixtures is also important in the production of natural gas for technical applications, where it is seen as an impurity.

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References

1. Angewandte Chemie 128, 9467–9471 (2016). doi: 10.1002/anie.201603211