Membrane filtration
Membrane technologies are one of the best possibilities, which is now thought to have a great deal of potential for enhancing the sustainability of current production systems. Membrane separation is accomplished by a thin layer. Depending on particle size, it enables some substances to pass while obstructing others. The markets for membrane separation technology are diverse and range from medical devices to municipal wastewater treatment or processes in the chemical industry. Membranes have been widely used in liquid separations, such as micro-filtration, ultra-filtration, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, desalination, and medical applications. However, gas separation using membranes is still in development. Membranes are an attractive technology for removing CO2 from mixed gases because they occupy minimal physical space, come in a wide variety of sizes, and are easily replaceable. "
Stage of Life Cycle
Products and Processes
GHG Reduction Potential
Membrane separation is a more efficient process for chemical separation than distillation or absorption. However, there is always a tradeoff between permeability, which refers to how quickly gases can penetrate the material, and selectivity, which is the ability to allow desired molecules to pass through while blocking all others. Since membranes are currently widely used in many industrial processes, separation procedures that frequently rely on century-old technology can be replaced with membrane filtration, which has the potential to save enormous amounts of energy and reduce carbon emissions. An article showed that Greenhouse gas emissions can see reduction from 161 g CO2-eq/m3 of the existing process, to 127 g CO2-eq/m3 or 83 g CO2-eq/m3 for ultrafiltration and nanofiltration, respectively.
Solution Maturity Status
Well established:
This technology has been operating for a number of years and is well-known/ successful in its industry or market.