Facilitated transport membranes for CO2/CH4 separation - State of the art

Membrane separation is a promising alternative for gas purification. Facilitated transport (FT) membranes, with reversible reactions to promote CO2 transport, can simultaneously obtain high CO2 permeability and selectivity of CO2 over other gases, such as CH4, making FT membranes particularly interesting for CO2/CH4 separation. An overview of the state-of-the-art FT membranes used for CO2/CH4 separation is desired for the R&D of industrial membrane applications. This paper has reviewed the development progress and advances in various FT membranes for CO2/CH4 separation, including mobile carrier FT membranes, fixed site carrier FT membranes, and mixed matrix FT membranes. Over 100 different kinds of membrane materials with over 500 gas separation data have been summarized with performance data collected and analyzed. Perspectives of FT membranes for CO2/CH4 separation are also proposed.