Abstract

Membrane processes are nowadays, together with cryogeny, absorption and adsorption, considered as a key technology for gas separation applications. Except the very specific use of mineral membranes based, multistaged process, for uranium enrichment performed since 1942 [1], it took more than 100 years before the visionary application of polymers, proposed by T. Graham in 1866, become an industrial reality [2]. 

Major issues in terms of materials science and process development needed indeed to be solved for the membrane solution to be considered as liable and cost effective compared to other gas separation technologies. 

Today, air separation (nitrogen production), hydrogen purification, natural gas treatment, VOC recovery and gas drying cover the major industrial applications of membrane gas separations. The number of membranes and modules suppliers remains nevertheless very limited. The commercially available membrane modules (spiral or hollow fiber) almost exclusively make use of ultra-thin dense polymers on a porous support, with a very limited number of polymer types [3]. 

Beyond the current status exposed above, the question of the future of membrane gas separations will be addressed. The new landscape of industrial processes combines new feedstocks (renewables in place of fossil), important energy issues (energy efficiency, carbon footprint) and a series of  constraints for production processes (water footprint, environmental impact, molecules and products recycling and reuse). 

In parallel, breakthrough nanostructured materials are available for membrane gas separations  (CMS, MOF, graphene, zeolites…), together with new materials production technologies, and powerful multiscale simulation and optimisation tools  (Molecular simulation, CFD, Process synthesis). 

The implications of these new conditions will be discussed through different case studies, with an emphasis on new applications: inorganic membranes for biogas upgrading, energy efficiency of carbon capture processes, possibilities of H₂/CH4 separation, diluted gases recovery through multimembranes (He) or hybrid processes (VOC’s). 

The key importance of associating breakthrough materials and process design studies for pushing new developents will be highlighted. 

References

[1] Separation & Purification: Critical Needs and Opportunities. Washington, DC: National Academy Press (1987).

[2] E. Favre, Polymeric membranes for gas separation. Comprehensive Membrane Science and Technology, E. Drioli & L. Giorno Eds, Volume II, pp155-212, Elsevier, New York, 2017 (ISBN 978-0-08-093250-7)

[3] R. W. Baker, Membrane technology and applications., J. Wiley: Chichester, New York, 2004. [1] Makadia, H.K.; Siegel, S.J. Polymers 2011, 3, 1377-1397.

Biography

Eric Favre is distinguished chemical engineering professor at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques (ENSIC), Université de Lorraine, France. He holds a Masters degree from EPFL (Switzerland) and a PhD in chemical engineering from INPL (France). His research activities on separation processes started first at EPFL (Switzerland) on membrane bioreactors and at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota (USA), where he was a visiting scientist in 1989. Since 1998, he is based at the Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés, CNRS, Nancy. His current research activities cover chemical engineering studies of gas and liquid separation processes, mostly based on membranes, including phase equilibria thermodynamics, mass transfer processes, energy efficiency, carbon capture, green engineering and intensification issues. He is the author of more than 200 publications in scientific journals, 10 book chapters, 15 patents. He is deputy president of the French membrane society (Club Français des Membranes, vice president of the European Membrane Society and founding member of the Fondation Ensic. He is editor of the journal Frontiers in Chemical Engineering / Separation Processes and member of the editorial board of the Journal of Membrane Science, Membranes, ChemEng, and Membrane Science & Technology. He received the French Society of Chemical Engineering award in 1994, the Montgolfier Prize in 1998 and a national teaching award (Palmes Académiques) in 2006 and 2019.