Preparation, characterization and testing of inorganic ceramic membranes.

Ogbuke, Ikechukwu

Abstract

A novel approach to enhance the concentration of Carbon dioxide to economic scale using low efficient Inorganic Ceramic membranes has been proposed. This was achieved by the addition of second and third stage permeation trains to the existing low CO2 recovering Ceramic Inorganic membranes. The Inorganic Ceramic membrane development involved modification of Alpha Alumina support with Gamma Alumina for improved surface area. Further modifications with Magnesium Oxide and Silicon Elastomer showed increase in the selectivity of Carbon dioxide molecules over Nitrogen, Methane, Argon, and Helium molecules, both in pure and mixture forms. A simulated flue gas feed concentration of CO2-14% and N2-86% was found to be concentrated more than 90% of CO2. The Carbon dioxide permeability was found to decrease as the membrane thickness and number of dipping increased, whereas, the selectivity of the Carbon dioxide over Nitrogen, Argon, Helium and Methane molecules improved with the use of modified membranes compared to membrane support only. The testing of the fabricated membrane demonstrated that modified membrane at third stage permeation at a pressure drop of 9.00KPa and operating temperature of 296K was capable of recovering more than 90% of Carbon dioxide from a feed gas mixture of 14%-CO2 and N2-86%.The permeability of the Carbon dioxide gas molecules that was recovered at the above listed operating conditions was 4.26X10-12 (mol.m/m2.s.Pa). This was achieved by surface flow mechanism and membrane pore sizes estimated were found to be macroporoes and mesopores with their EDXA and SEM images. A numerical algorithm was used to estimate the errors. The error was found to decrease as the permeation value increases.

Citation

OGBUKE, I. 2013. Preparation, characterization and testing of inorganic ceramic membranes. Robert Gordon University, PhD thesis.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jan 20, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 20, 2017
• Keywords: Carbon dioxide; Inorganic ceramic membranes; Permeation; Membrane separation technology
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/2111
• Award Date: Oct 31, 2013