Group V Metal and Metal Alloy Membranes for Nitrogen Separation: Theoretical and Experimental Approaches

摘要

Nitrogen(N2)-selective membrane technology is promising for post-combustion capture of CO2 from coal- or natural gas-fired power plants, where CO2 concentrations are potentially too dilute for traditional CO2-selective polymer membrane processes. A co-benefit of a N2-selective membrane is the potential for ammonia (NH3) synthesis by sweeping hydrogen (H2) on the permeate side of the membrane, provided a H2 source is available. The produced NH3 can be used as a viable fertilizer or a clean energy source and may partially offset the costs of capture. In this study, pure vanadium (V) metal and their alloys with ruthenium (Ru) have been investigated as membrane materials for selective N2 separation. Investigations include both theoretical modeling based upon electronic structure calculations and experimental testing using a high-temperature bench-scale membrane reactor. This work will provide fundamental knowledge toward the design of a metallic membrane with optimal selectivity and permeability of N2 for post-combustion CO2capture.