Abstract
More efficient and less energy consuming technologies for separation and purification processes are needed to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases. On the other hand, natural gas is a more environmental-friendly fuel than oil which is needed during the transition to a new green economy. In this scenario, membrane technologies to purify natural gas can play an important role due to their lower cost, adaptability, compact design, and lower energy consumption than current technologies.
However, there are still some remaining challenges to spread the use of membranes for natural gas purification applications such as improve the life shelf of the membranes, their resistance against acidic components of natural gas, and of course, the separation performance of the membranes.
In this work, composite membranes based on polyimides have been developed. Dense membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles (zeolites TS-1, ETS-10 and SSZ-16) and porous membranes coated with a thin layer (thin film composite membranes) of high-performance polyimide were prepared. These membranes were characterized using different techniques like scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, different thermal analyses and their gas separation performance in mixed gas conditions was measured.
Mixed Matrix Membranes, i.e. polymeric films containing zeolitic nanoparticles, using laboratory-synthesized and commercial polyimides and nanoparticles were studied for understanding the role of the chemical composition of the zeolites and loading concentration in the performance of the final membrane. On the other hand, thin film composite membranes using a laboratory-synthesized polyimide (based on 6FDA monomer) were evaluated for almost 200 hours to check their performance under conditions closer to working conditions for long time. This type of measurement is very important to obtain a more accurate knowledge for the new synthesized polymers.
In conclusion, incorporation of zeolitic nanoparticles brings an increment of the separation and the overall performance of the membrane. Furthermore, the well-known polyimide, in the membrane community, based on the 6FDA monomer was tested in more comprehensive conditions and it is a suitable polyimide for further development in the commercial stage.
More efficient and less energy consuming technologies for separation and purification processes are needed to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases. On the other hand, natural gas is a more environmental-friendly fuel than oil which is needed during the transition to a new green economy. In this scenario, membrane technologies to purify natural gas can play an important role due to their lower cost, adaptability, compact design, and lower energy consumption than current technologies.
However, there are still some remaining challenges to spread the use of membranes for natural gas purification applications such as improve the life shelf of the membranes, their resistance against acidic components of natural gas, and of course, the separation performance of the membranes.
In this work, composite membranes based on polyimides have been developed. Dense membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles (zeolites TS-1, ETS-10 and SSZ-16) and porous membranes coated with a thin layer (thin film composite membranes) of high-performance polyimide were prepared. These membranes were characterized using different techniques like scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, different thermal analyses and their gas separation performance in mixed gas conditions was measured.
Mixed Matrix Membranes, i.e. polymeric films containing zeolitic nanoparticles, using laboratory-synthesized and commercial polyimides and nanoparticles were studied for understanding the role of the chemical composition of the zeolites and loading concentration in the performance of the final membrane. On the other hand, thin film composite membranes using a laboratory-synthesized polyimide (based on 6FDA monomer) were evaluated for almost 200 hours to check their performance under conditions closer to working conditions for long time. This type of measurement is very important to obtain a more accurate knowledge for the new synthesized polymers.
In conclusion, incorporation of zeolitic nanoparticles brings an increment of the separation and the overall performance of the membrane. Furthermore, the well-known polyimide, in the membrane community, based on the 6FDA monomer was tested in more comprehensive conditions and it is a suitable polyimide for further development in the commercial stage.
However, there are still some remaining challenges to spread the use of membranes for natural gas purification applications such as improve the life shelf of the membranes, their resistance against acidic components of natural gas, and of course, the separation performance of the membranes.
In this work, composite membranes based on polyimides have been developed. Dense membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles (zeolites TS-1, ETS-10 and SSZ-16) and porous membranes coated with a thin layer (thin film composite membranes) of high-performance polyimide were prepared. These membranes were characterized using different techniques like scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, different thermal analyses and their gas separation performance in mixed gas conditions was measured.
Mixed Matrix Membranes, i.e. polymeric films containing zeolitic nanoparticles, using laboratory-synthesized and commercial polyimides and nanoparticles were studied for understanding the role of the chemical composition of the zeolites and loading concentration in the performance of the final membrane. On the other hand, thin film composite membranes using a laboratory-synthesized polyimide (based on 6FDA monomer) were evaluated for almost 200 hours to check their performance under conditions closer to working conditions for long time. This type of measurement is very important to obtain a more accurate knowledge for the new synthesized polymers.
In conclusion, incorporation of zeolitic nanoparticles brings an increment of the separation and the overall performance of the membrane. Furthermore, the well-known polyimide, in the membrane community, based on the 6FDA monomer was tested in more comprehensive conditions and it is a suitable polyimide for further development in the commercial stage.
More efficient and less energy consuming technologies for separation and purification processes are needed to decrease the emission of greenhouse gases. On the other hand, natural gas is a more environmental-friendly fuel than oil which is needed during the transition to a new green economy. In this scenario, membrane technologies to purify natural gas can play an important role due to their lower cost, adaptability, compact design, and lower energy consumption than current technologies.
However, there are still some remaining challenges to spread the use of membranes for natural gas purification applications such as improve the life shelf of the membranes, their resistance against acidic components of natural gas, and of course, the separation performance of the membranes.
In this work, composite membranes based on polyimides have been developed. Dense membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles (zeolites TS-1, ETS-10 and SSZ-16) and porous membranes coated with a thin layer (thin film composite membranes) of high-performance polyimide were prepared. These membranes were characterized using different techniques like scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, different thermal analyses and their gas separation performance in mixed gas conditions was measured.
Mixed Matrix Membranes, i.e. polymeric films containing zeolitic nanoparticles, using laboratory-synthesized and commercial polyimides and nanoparticles were studied for understanding the role of the chemical composition of the zeolites and loading concentration in the performance of the final membrane. On the other hand, thin film composite membranes using a laboratory-synthesized polyimide (based on 6FDA monomer) were evaluated for almost 200 hours to check their performance under conditions closer to working conditions for long time. This type of measurement is very important to obtain a more accurate knowledge for the new synthesized polymers.
In conclusion, incorporation of zeolitic nanoparticles brings an increment of the separation and the overall performance of the membrane. Furthermore, the well-known polyimide, in the membrane community, based on the 6FDA monomer was tested in more comprehensive conditions and it is a suitable polyimide for further development in the commercial stage.
| Original language | English |
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| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
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| Award date | 6 May 2019 |
| Place of Publication | Prague |
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| Publication status | Published - 6 May 2019 |