Liquid Membranes for the Production of Oxygen-Enriched Air: Phase 1, Final Report

摘要

The program determined the feasibility of using liquid membranes to produce oxygen-enriched air. Liquid membranes contain a carrier that binds oxygen reversibly, dissolved in a solvent and supported in a microporous membrane. Normal diffusion across the membranes is augmented by the carrier, and separation performance is enhanced compared with conventional polymeric membranes. Liquid membranes are thick, so despite high selectivity and permeability, gas fluxes achieved are too low for commercial utility. Solvent evaporation and carrier deterioration with time are other problems. The project attempted to overcome these deficiencies by using multilayer composite membranes with the oxygen carrier in a thin gel layer. Results obtained were not as good as expected, owing to various constraints. Much better performance should be attainable with further work. An economic analysis showed that gel membranes would then be competitive with other oxygen production processes.