Fabrication and Permeation Analysis of Polysulfone (PSf) Modified Cellulose Triacetate (CTA) Blend Membranes for CO2 Separation from Methane

Abstract

Natural gas is one of the most abundant fuel resources in the world, combustion of which fulfils much of our energy needs. However, the presence of certain, noncombustible, and hazardous impurities may reduce the energy content of the fuel gas. CO2 has adverse effects in this regard. It is mainly present in the order of 3-4% in natural gas, and increased amount reduces energy content of the gas. Therefore, it is imperative to separate carbon dioxide. The escalating demand for clean and sustainable energy sources has intensified research efforts towards efficient separation techniques for mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This thesis explores the fabrication and permeation analysis of Polysulfone modified Cellulose Triacetate blend membranes designed for the separation of carbon dioxide (CO2) from methane (CH4). The initial section of this thesis presents a thorough analysis of the current energy landscape, highlighting the importance of CO2 separation technologies in the context of environmental conservation and sustainable energy consumption. Pristine and blend CTA/PSf membranes were synthesized from a solution of the polymers in N-Methyl2-pyrrolidone. These membrane samples were then analyzed for gas permeation using single permeation testing (in PHILOS® Type) gas permeation equipment, also analyzed their surface characteristics studied and morphology using SEM analysis, for their tensile strength using the UTM, and the presence of different functional groups was confirmed using FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that the CTA/PSf membranes gave much better and superior single gas selectivity of 30.70 for the membranes containing 6wt% PSf in the CTA matrix, with permeabilities up to 11.12 Barrers. Moreover, they had a maximum tensile strength of about 18.51 MPa. In conclusion, this thesis advances the field of CO2 separation by presenting a systematic exploration of PSf modified CTA blend membranes as a viable solution for efficiently removing CO2 from CH4