abstract
Capture and storage of CO(2) (CCS) from fossil-fuel power plants is vital in order to counteract a pending anthropogenic global warming. High temperature oxygen transport perovskite membranes can fulfill an important role in the separation of oxygen from air needed in the oxy-fuel technologies for CCS. In this study we present the development, performance and stability of gastight, macrovoid-free and sulfur-free Ba(0.5)Sr(0.5)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-delta) (BSCF) mixed conductor capillary membranes prepared by phase-inversion spinning and sintering. A sulfur-free phase-inversion polymer was chosen in order to obtain a phase-pure BSCF crystal phase. Special attention was given to the polymer solution and ceramic spinning suspension in order to avoid macrovoids and achieve gastight membranes. The sulfur-free BSCF capillaries showed an average 4-point bending strength of 64 +/- 8 MPa and a maximum oxygen flux of similar to 5.3 Nml/(cm(2) min) at 950 degrees C for an argon sweep flow rate of 125 Nml/min. The comparison of the performance of sulfur-free and sulfur-containing BSCF capillaries with similar dimensions revealed a profound impact of the sulfur contamination on both the oxygen flux and the activation energy of the overall oxygen transport mechanism. Both long-term oxygen permeation at different temperatures and post-operation analysis of a sulfur-free BSCF capillary were performed and discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
keywords
HOLLOW-FIBER MEMBRANES; PEROVSKITE MEMBRANES; CO2 CAPTURE; CARBON-DIOXIDE; PERMEATION; FABRICATION; DECOMPOSITION; GENERATION; CONVERSION; PART
subject category
Engineering; Polymer Science
authors
Buysse, C; Kovalevsky, A; Snijkers, F; Buekenhoudt, A; Mullens, S; Luyten, J; Kretzschmar, J; Lenaerts, S
our authors
Andrei Kavaleuski
Principal Researcheracknowledgements
The authors want to express their thanks to the VITO staff for their continuous support, especially B. Molenberghs, W. Doyen, H. Beckers, R. Kemps, M. Mertens, M. Schoeters and H. Chen. C. Buysse thankfully acknowledges a PhD scholarship provided by VITO and the University of Antwerp. This work is performed in the framework of the German Helmholtz Alliance Project