Preparation,characterization and applications of perovskite hollow fiber membrane

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Jürgen Caro; Professor Dr. Armin Feldhoff
• Subject Area: Technical Chemistry ; Thermodynamics and Kinetics as well as Properties of Phases and Microstructure of Materials
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 209458269

Environmental issues due to emissions of pollutants from combustion of fossil fuels have become global problems. Combustion of fossil fuels leads to emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere, which is believed to contribute to undesired global warming. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reduce the emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere. Recently, CO2 capture, storage as well as utilization technologies to reduce the CO2 emissions from coal fired power plants have gained great attentions of decision makers in governments, industry and academia. Mixed oxygen ionicelectronic conducting ceramic membranes (MIECMs) have gained increasing attention due to their potential applications in oxygen supply to power stations for CO2 capture according to the oxyfuel concept. The project is aimed to develop, based on MIEC membranes, new concepts for CO2 capture by oxyfuel combustion as well as the utilization of CO2 in syngas production. In order to meet with the requirement of these practical applications, novel membranes will be developed and evaluated. First, novel monophase mixed oxygen ionic-electronic conductors, which are free of carbonating constituents, will be considered. Second, a novel cobalt-free and earth alkaline-free dual phase membrane, which is composed of two interpenetrating percolated networks of an oxygen conductor (solid oxide electrolyte) and an electron conductor (internally short-circuiting electrode) will be developed. To increase the oxygen permeation flux, hollow fiber membranes with an asymmetric structure will be fabricated using a novel phaseinversion/ sintering technique. The research contents include choosing and preparing MIEC membrane materials, which are stable under CO2 , optimizing the phase-inversion technology for the preparation of the hollow fiber membrane, investigating the oxygen permeability and diffusion through disk-shaped and hollow fiber membranes, and constructing membrane reactors for CH4 or coal combustion for CO2 capture and utilization. The fundamental issues such as formation mechanism of membranes during spinning process, densification mechanism during sintering, and transporting mechanism of oxygen through the disk and hollow fiber membrane will be addressed. This joint project can promote basic and applied research cooperation in the field of inorganic membranes for CO2 capture and utilization of CO2 between Germany and China.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Participating Person: Dr. Haihui Wang