thin-film composite (TFC) membranes

ARPA-E Awardee Pioneers Innovative Way to Capture Carbon Dioxide

 thin-film composite (TFC) membranes

(Image Credit: IECR)

What if we could develop innovative technologies that allowed us to inexpensively capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants? One ARPA-E awardee is addressing this challenge by pioneering a game-changing, low-cost membrane technology to separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas.

Through ARPA-E’s “Innovative Materials and Processes for Advanced Carbon Capture Technologies” (IMPACCT) program, The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Boulder) along with its partner The 3M Company (3M), developed and fabricated innovative new thin-film composite (TFC) membranes that could capture CO2 at a cost of less than $15 per ton—a level significantly lower than today’s best carbon capture technologies. While coal is a low-cost and abundant domestic source of energy, burning it releases CO2 into the atmosphere. By developing new materials and more cost-effective and efficient processes to capture the CO2 released by coal-fired power plants, ARPA-E project teams like the one at CU Boulder can help minimize harm to the environment while maintaining our ability to utilize low-cost energy sources like coal.

As recently reported in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Chemical Society, CU Boulder and 3M have demonstrated the first example of a TFC gas separation membrane composed of a room-temperature ionic liquid and a polymer. The membranes are created by coating the ionic liquid/polymer composites as thin layers onto porous support structures in such a way that the membrane has good mechanical strength. This new membrane pulls CO2 out of coal-derived flue gas exhaust at twice the rate of current technology while restricting the flow of other materials through it. The higher permeance of the TFC reduces the amount of membrane material required for CO2 separation, thereby reducing the capital costs of the process.

“The CU Boulder/3M team is pushing the boundaries of carbon capture research with its recent accomplishment in creating ionic liquid-based membranes,” said ARPA-E Program Director Dr. Ping Liu. “This major step contributes to the development of cost-effective carbon capture technology and ARPA-E’s goal of advancing high-impact technologies toward large scale demonstrations.”

By partnering with 3M, CU Boulder continues to test and improve the commercial viability of its membranes by addressing durability and long-term stability. If successful, this technology could significantly reduce CO2 from coal-fired power plants.