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Various Technologies: System and Methods for CO2 Selection and Separation


PROBLEM

It has been estimated that man-made emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere have resulted in an increase in CO2 concentration of at least 30% over pre-industrial age concentrations. CO2 emissions over the next 100 years could see an increase of 3 to 4 times from current levels. While there is considerable debate over the environmental impact of CO2 emissions on climate change and/or global warming, there is a general consensus that tripling or quadrupling CO2 emissions will have a serious environmental impact. Accordingly, there has been a substantial focus on improving techniques for CO2 sequestration or capture. Today, companies are required to remove or substantially reduce CO2 levels in exhaust streams before they are vented to the atmosphere.

Currently, a commonly used CO2 separation process involves amine absorption. In brief, flue gas streams and natural gas streams are bubbled through an amine solution and the CO2 in these streams becomes bound to the amine groups in the solution. Consequently, the CO2 content in the resulting gas stream is significantly reduced. Amine absorption is an effective technique to remove CO2; however, this technique has notable flaws and inefficiencies. First, once the amine solution is saturated, the process to reactivate the solution (i.e., remove the bound CO2 from the amine groups in the solution) for reuse requires a high amount of energy. Second, this process has a tendency to corrode equipment. Third, over a short period of time, the amine solution loses viability through amine degradation and loss.

Alternatively, patent-pending methods, invented at the University of Wyoming, are actively being developed and show promise as a major improvement over the current methods for CO2 removal.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Researchers at the University of Wyoming’s Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department are working on novel methods of CO2 separation. The following paragraphs provide a description and a list for the individual technologies and their unique processes used to address the inherent flaws and inefficiencies of amine absorption. Additionally, the University of Wyoming has aggressively protected these treatment processes by filing and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications on the following technologies:

UW Tech 04-088: This alternative method of CO2 separation involves poly(ionic liquid) sorbents that will selectively adsorb CO2 from other gases. The inherent advantages of using these sorbents are: no volatile compound emissions, no corrosion problems, and high regeneration efficiency. Polymer membranes fabricated from these poly(ionic liquid)s have both high selectivity and permeability. Whether using a sorbent or membrane, either method provides efficient separation of CO2 from other gases. In addition, the use of this technology greatly reduces energy consumption in the reactivation step; in fact, when used as a membrane, it requires no reactivation or regeneration. Research describing this technology as published in Macromolecules, 2005, 38, 2037-2039.  WO06026064

UW Tech 05-034: This alternative method of CO2 separation involves a process for fabricating polymeric membranes. Specifically, the original polymer (polymer backbone) is synthesized or prepared using the polymer reaction method or some other polymerization technique. Subsequent reactions are used to attach ionic liquid moieties to the original polymer (polymer backbone). Such polymers are easily fabricated into membranes, including discs, hollow fibers and other shapes thereby accomplishing the task of CO2 separation. Due to the high solubility of CO2 in such polymers, both the selectivity and permeability of CO2 through the membrane are expected to be high. Furthermore, such polymers should be thermally stable, since the original polymer (polymer backbone) to which the ionic groups are attached are known to be thermally stable.

If your company would like to learn more about this technology and how your company may help us develop it or apply it in commercial situations, please contact the director of the University of Wyoming Research Products Center, Davona Douglass.