Separation and concentration of CO2 from air using a humidity-driven molten-carbonate membrane

Ian S. Metcalfe (), Greg A. Mutch, Evangelos I. Papaioannou, Sotiria Tsochataridou, Dragos Neagu, Dan J. L. Brett, Francesco Iacoviello, Thomas S. Miller, Paul R. Shearing and Patricia A. Hunt
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Ian S. Metcalfe: Newcastle University
Greg A. Mutch: Newcastle University
Evangelos I. Papaioannou: Newcastle University
Sotiria Tsochataridou: Newcastle University
Dragos Neagu: University of Strathclyde
Dan J. L. Brett: University College London
Francesco Iacoviello: University College London
Thomas S. Miller: University College London
Paul R. Shearing: University College London
Patricia A. Hunt: Imperial College London, White City Campus

Nature Energy, 2024, vol. 9, issue 9, 1074-1083

Abstract: Abstract Separation processes are substantially more difficult when the species to be separated is highly dilute. To perform any dilute separation, thermodynamic and kinetic limitations must be overcome. Here we report a molten-carbonate membrane that can ‘pump’ CO2 from a 400 ppm input stream (representative of air) to an output stream with a higher concentration of CO2, by exploiting ambient energy in the form of a humidity difference. The substantial H2O concentration difference across the membrane drives CO2 permeation ‘uphill’ against its own concentration difference, analogous to active transport in biological membranes. The introduction of this H2O concentration difference also results in a kinetic enhancement that boosts the CO2 flux by an order of magnitude even as the CO2 input stream concentration is decreased by three orders of magnitude from 50% to 400 ppm. Computational modelling shows that this enhancement is due to the H2O-mediated formation of carriers within the molten salt that facilitate rapid CO2 transport.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-024-01588-6

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