PLA Easy Fil - White-based membranes for CO2 separation

Polymeric membrane technology applied to gas separation is seen as a valuable alternative to conventional systems due to its ease integrability with existing plant, its lower energy consumption, and its flexibility when scaling up. It constitutes a cheaper solution because, in accordance with the principles of process intensification strategy, realized with a reduced number of stages process. In this work, for the first time, a modified polylactic acid-based polymer (PLA Easy Fil - White) was used to synthesize polymeric membranes for use in CO2 separation. This has the further advantage of adopting a biodegradable and non-toxic material and environmental friendly. Dense symmetric PLA Easy Fil - White membranes (average thickness approximate to 27 m) were prepared and characterized in terms of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analyses and in single gas permeation tests to determine their perm-selectivity at room temperature in the particular field of CO2/CH4 separation as an example of CO2 removal from raw natural gas or biogas. A CO2/CH4 ideal selectivity equal to 285 (corresponding to a CO2 permeability of 70 barrer) was obtained, overcoming the related Robeson's upper bound. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.