Polymeric membranes for natural gas sweetening

• Published in: Advances in Natural Gas: Formation, Processing, and Applications. Volume 2: Natural Gas Sweetening
• Main Author: Ahmad A.L.; Zainuddin M.I.F.; Shah Buddin M.M.H.
• Format: Book chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85190034637&doi=10.1016%2fB978-0-443-19217-3.00001-5&partnerID=40&md5=1111fc8f062a4e162a7e81706ddbbb47

Polymeric materials have been extensively studied as a membrane for gas separation application due to their easy and facile processability. They are cheap and can be shaped into hollow fiber configuration with a high surface area to volume ratio. Its application includes natural gas sweetening to minimize the content of CO2 and H2S from the feed phase. However, every polymeric material's performance is limited by its intrinsic performance. As such, the development of new polymeric material, polymer blending, thermal treatment, and mixed matrix membrane fabrication has become the focus of membrane development to overcome the intrinsic limitation of polymer. The intrinsic performance of conventional polymers is bounded by Robeson's upper boundary. This chapter discussed the discovery, fundamental understanding of polymeric membranes, and the modification to break the upper boundary. The current use of polymeric material in industrial applications specifically for natural gas sweetening and H2S separation from natural gas was discussed, together with the concerns and problems related to the technology. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.