Hybrid membrane could help promote CCUS deployment

The technology is said to have commercial potential for use in coal-fired power plants with carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) systems.

Before the carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated at a power plant can be securely stored or put to beneficial use, it must first be separated from the flue-gas stream. Energy costs associated with this process are, however, too high to make rapid commercial deployment of CCUS technologies feasible.

To overcome this barrier, high-performance membrane separation is a focus of the US Department of Energy’s Fossil Energy (FE) Carbon Capture Program, under which the Ohio State project is managed.

Membranes consist of thin layers of either polymer (organic, plastic) or inorganic (metal, ceramic) materials that are permeable to the molecules they are meant to capture, such as water, CO₂ or oxygen.

The layers are generally deposited on a membrane support structure; polymer membranes are mass produced and are very cost effective, while inorganic membranes are expensive to produce but exhibit better performance.