Zeolites are porous aluminosillicates with important applications in catalysis and separation. There has been a growing interest in NaX type zeolite membranes for CO2 separation from flue gas (76% CO2, 21% N2)1. Separation is achieved because permeability of CO2 in NaX is higher than N2. However, the ability of NaX to remove CO2 may be compromised by its high affinity towards water, which can decrease the CO2 permeability. We have performed a computer simulation study on NaX (Si/Al &lt;1.5) and quantified the permeability drop of CO2 as water is introduced in the gas stream. Alternatively, high silica zeolite Y (NaY, Si,Al &gt;1.5), a well-known catalyst for hydrocarbon cracking2, has lower affinity towards water and higher CO2 permeability, and therefore can be an alternative for NaX in CO2 capture applications. We developed a method for rapidly synthesizing NaY and fabricated polymer-inorganic composite membrane by growing NaY on an inexpensive polymer substrate. The computational model we already developed is helping us to design the optimum NaY layer the membrane for maximum CO2 permeability. The membranes fabricated are being tested for performance and standardization using an in-house built gas separation set-up. Another important parameter for practical application of the membrane is the mechanical stability. We have developed a method using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to characterize and quantify the mechanical stability of zeolite membranes. The method measures the Young’s modulus of the membrane and predicts the stress on the membrane on bending thereby predicting its stability 1. Severance, M.; Wang, B.; Ramasubramanian, K.; Zhao, L.; Ho, W. W.; Dutta, P. K., Rapid crystallization of faujasitic zeolites: mechanism and application to zeolite membrane growth on polymer supports. Langmuir 2014, 30 (23), 6929-6937; Wang, B.; Ho, W. W.; Figueroa, J. D.; Dutta, P. K., Bendable Zeolite Membranes: Synthesis and Improved Gas Separation Performance. Langmuir 2015; Wang, B.; Sun, C.; Li, Y.; Zhao, L.; Ho, W. W.; Dutta, P. K., Rapid synthesis of faujasite/polyethersulfone composite membrane and application for CO 2/N 2 separation. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 2015, 208, 72-82. 2. Rabo, J. A., Unifying principles in zeolite chemistry and catalysis. Catalysis Reviews—Science and Engineering 1981, 23 (1-2), 293-313.

High silica zeolite-Y membranes: Motivation, development, characterization, and application

251st National Meeting (2016)

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