Effects of pressure and temperature on CO2 facilitation of amino acid salt-containing membranes for post-combustion carbon capture

Polymeric facilitated transport membranes (FTMs) that contain amino acid salts (AASs) provide a cost-effective option for reducing the CO2 emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. In the current work, we examined the effects of CO2 partial pressure and temperature on the CO2 absorption properties of three AAS mobile carriers, piperazine glycinate (PZ-Gly), 2-(1-piperazinyl)ethylamine glycinate (PZEA-Gly), and 2-(1-piperazinyl)ethylamine sarcosinate (PZEA-Sar), and their facilitation of CO2 transport by employing 13C NMR spectroscopy. The CO2 loading and the distribution of reaction products, i.e., carbamate and bicarbonate products, were analyzed and quantified for each AAS sample. The 13C NMR analysis revealed that PZEA-Sar had a greater CO2 loading and favored the more efficient bicarbonate pathway in comparison to PZ-Gly and PZEA-Gly. In addition, we noted marked differences in the formation of carbamate and bicarbonate products when the CO2 partial pressure and temperature were adjusted. The concentration gradient of the reaction products formed indicated that the diffusion of carbamate products was the most influential factor in CO2 transport under reduced CO2 partial pressure. However, as the partial pressure of CO2 increased, bicarbonate products began to play a more significant role. At elevated temperatures, a lower absorption of CO2 was observed, resulting in the reduced generation of both reaction products. This suggests that the enhanced CO2 permeance of FTMs is mainly attributed to the accelerated diffusion of the reaction products. The findings of this study contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the transport mechanism by which AAS carriers enhance CO2 facilitation, allowing for the refinement of more efficient FTM designs.