Membranes --- the Way OUT

Pengcheng Ye Chemical Technology

2013.06.10*The Beijing National Aquatics Center, Water Cube , the largest ETFE membrane structure in the world with over 100,000 m². ETFE allows more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs.

Global Problems

Water shortageGlobal warming

Energy crisis Population explosion & Disease

PollutionResource shortage

吸附等温线

CO2 removal

1. CO2, H2S and H2O removal natural gas.

2. Lime-kiln gas treatment in steel industry. (CO2/N2 separation)

3. Flue gas treatment in power plants.4. Treatment for biogas before use.

Advangtages: Low volume, low space occupation, low investment, low energy consumption.

Membrane solution can recover 90% CO2 at the expense of 18% power generated.

At present, the technologies for CO2 removal tend to be mature, but cost-reduce are still required.

Higher permeance membranes and lower cost membrane modules are the future work.

Plants already exist owned by Air Production , Japanese Natco Group, UOP SepraxTM, Air Liquide MedalTM.UOP SepraxTM capacity: 500MMscfd, 6.5% to 2.0% CO2

Global warming

Wasterwater TreatmentDesalination

Membrane Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a well-estabished process worldwidely.

RO removes salt & other inorganic in the seawater/brackish water.

13,000 desalination plants 35,000,000m3 water/day; Provides

drinking water for 1/50 population 24% by Saudi Arabia

Major problem: membrane fouling. Feed pretreatment and membrane

cleaning raise the cost. New membrane materials and modules

are under research.

1 billion people have no clean drinking water.

*expamle: Desalination units (by SolarSpring) run by solar engergy in remote area.

Membrane Process has already been applied in the second step of urban sewage treatment.

Microfiltration and ultrafiltration are alternative to conventional sedimetntion, filtration, adsorption, strilization, etc.

Nanofiltration and RO for water soften Bioreactor is widely used.

Major problem: membrane fouling. Sewage contains various organic,

inorganic, bio-material, which may block the membrane pores or destroy.

New membrane materials and optimized process are under research.

Energy Crisis

Bio-energy Nuclear energy

1

2

*the dimethyl ether (DME) plant built by Chemrec in Piteå, Sweden

Deuterium(D2)-- an isoptope of H2

Nuclear reactors (fusion power) need D2

The current technologies producing D2 from natural water or H2 are costly.

[My current project]Our preliminary simulations indicate membranes are very selective to D2 at temperatures below 40K. At 30K, a D2/H2 separation factor of as high as 45 is expected.

top view

cross-section

SEM images

Zeolite membrane

in our group

Controlled drug delivery

Bloodoxygenators

Hemo-dialysis

Fight with horrible Diseases

Regulate the rate of drug delivery by membrane

Diffusion-controlledBiodegradable systemsOsmotic systems osmotic pumps are widely used in oral tablet formulations

10% of polulation suffer kidney failure; over 2 billion befinit from hemodialysis$65,000/year per patientCost need to be reduced

*expamle: MC3 BioLung uses the heart's pumping power to move blood through its filters. So far, it's been tried on sheep, lasting for five days.