SBIR Phase I: Novel Polymeric Membranes Based on Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids for Carbon Dioxide Removal from Shifted Syngas

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop novel CO2-selective polymeric membranes based on room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) for improving the cost and efficiency of CO2 capture from advanced IGCC power plants. The success of this project will enable the use of an environmentally benign and economically viable membrane process to remove CO2 from shifted syngas in IGCC power plants and at the same time meet the Department of Energy (DOE) target of at least 90% capture of CO2 with less than 10% increase in the levelized cost of electricity. The unique combination of RTIL capabilities (excellent CO2/H2 separation properties, along with the capability to tailor structure-property relationships) makes RTILs a promising candidate material for the next generation of membranes for CO2/H2 separations. The broader/commercial impact of this research will be to improve the understanding of RTIL- based polymeric materials ? poly(RTILs) ? and their potential for use in gas separations. Using poly(RTILs) for the proposed application is unprecedented and has never been reported. If RTILs can be made into a stable solid membrane, the results of this Phase I work will aid in the advancement of membrane technologies used in CO2/H2 separations, and enable a further understanding of the capability of using poly(RTILs) as membrane materials. The successful development of membranes with ultra-thin poly(RTILs) layers will lead to new methods for fabricating and using these RTIL-based membrane materials not only for syngas and IGCC applications, but for other CO2-related gas separations as well.