Membranes for Post-combustion CO2 Capture

Chemical absorption is one of the mature technologies for post-combustion CO₂ capture. The fixed-site-carrier membranes developed by Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the PolyActive™ membranes from Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, and the Polaris membrane developed by Membrane Technology and Research, are the frontiers in post-combustion CO₂ capture using membrane technology. This chapter provides a review on the progress of membrane materials and process development related to post-combustion CO₂ captures from power plants and industries was conducted. The main focus on the development of membrane materials for post-combustion CO₂ capture is to produce high performance membranes with long lifetime at a low cost. Application of CO₂ capture from cement kilns would have great potential to reduce CO₂ emission from this industry, but will naturally influence cement production cost. Gas separation membrane systems could be an environmentally friendly technology for post combustion CO₂ capture in the near future by the joint force from membrane science and engineering.