Effect of Activated Alkanolamine for CO2 Absorption using Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactor

Abstract

Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactor (HFMC) technology has been widely developed as an alternative technology to separate CO2 gas. HFMC technology combines gas absorption process with absorbent and membrane technology. Membrane contactor technology has advantages than conventional technology such as larger gas-liquid contact area, smaller equipment, modularity, and gas-liquid flow rates adjusted independently. In this research, the CO2 absorption experiments was conducted for absorption process at 30°C temperature and various gas flow rate from 200 - 600 mL/min, feed gas of CO2 20%vol. flowed into shell side and the absorbents flowed in tube side of membrane contactor. Piperazine (PZ) and monosodium glutamate (MSG) as activators with 1%w/w concentration, added into methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) 30% w/w solution to form aqueous solutions of activated MDEA. The membrane material used in this experiment was hydrophobic polypropylene membrane. The effect of liquid flow rate and various activators used to get CO2 absorption flux and CO2 removal in HFMC. The results showed that the best of CO2 absorption process using activated alkanolamine was MDEA-PZ, where the highest flux value was 5.5x10-4 mole/m2.s and CO2 removal reached 96.9% at a gas flow rate of 600mL/min.