Maastricht University (UM) developed two new classes of poly(ether-b-amide) (PEBA) polymers for gas separation membranes. The monomers used for the polyamide block are biobased and their introduction offers the potential to improve the PEBA solubility and membrane processability. In prototype B, the polyamide is based on biobased dimer fatty acid and in prototype C the polyamide is based on a sugar derivative. The prototype B and prototype C polymers could be processed into membranes by Tecnalia and Hereon.
The best PEBA polymer compositions from prototype B were upscaled by Arkema and further used by Tecnalia and Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon for making membrane modules. Prototype C was limited to lab scale synthesis, but the amount of polymer was enough for extensive membrane evaluation at Hereon.
These membranes have good properties for CO2 capture from residual flue gases.
The upscaled multilayer thin-film composite membranes by Hereon were integrated into membrane modules at two different scales:
1. A demonstrator module “K100 PN40” (prototype A1) containing 0.45 m² of membrane area, which will be tested at the DMT facilities in Netherlands for natural and biogas upgrading.
2. Two lab-scale modules “K100” (prototypes A1 and C) with 0.06 m² of total membrane area each, which will be further tested at TUE for diverse CO2 separations.
Tecnalia developed with prototype B co-polymer hollow fiber membranes.
Eindhoven University of Technology has finalized the design of a superstructure-based mathematical model for the optimization of CO2 removal in three applications including post-combustion CO2 capture, natural gas sweetening and biogas upgrading. The multi-stage membrane process was investigated in terms of energy consumption, membrane area and gas processing cost. Additional sensitivity analyses were undertaken to characterize the influence of membrane properties and separation targets on the process layout, power consumption and membrane area. The results revealed that high purity and recovery at a minimum cost could be achieved by the three-stage process in post-combustion CO2 capture and natural gas while in biogas upgrading the two-stage configuration exhibited the best performance.
In addition Eindhoven University of Technology has launched the TRL5 demonstration campaign at its own laboratories. Data will be shared in future open access scientific publications.
The first experimental campaign in relevant environment has been successfully completed at DMT Environmental Technology facilities. CO2 separation from biogas has been demonstrated at TRL5 during 240h of operation using the up-scaled thin-film composite membrane (TFCM) prepared by Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon.
At B4Plastics, we have gained valuable insights in the process of upscaling the foundational components necessary for the development of gas separation membranes.
This progress has paved the way for a subsequent project named Cumeri, where B4Plastics, Tecnalia and Uinversity of Maastricht aim to elevate the knowledge acquired from Biocomem to a higher Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL7).
For B4Plastics, as a company participating in BioCoMem, it has been a very positive experience as they have adopted a broader perspective, recognizing the interplay between chemistry, scale-up processes, and the crucial properties required to meet specific criteria for successful gas separation.
Two patent applications and 2 scientific publications have been achieved within the time frame of the project. Other four scientific publications are being written after the end of the project.
