Carbon Capture Using Amine-Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework Membranes

Sarah Okonkwo; Hiroshi Tanaka; Lin Zhang

doi:10.55001/ijeer.v1i2.60

Abstract

Post-combustion carbon capture from flue gas requires selective CO₂ separation under humid conditions at low partial pressures. We report amine-functionalized MOF membranes (UiO-66-NH₂-PEI) fabricated by interfacial polymerization on porous α-alumina supports, achieving CO₂/N₂ selectivity of 68.5 and CO₂ permeance of 1,420 GPU at 55°C with 15 vol% CO₂ feed mimicking coal-fired power plant flue gas. The polyethyleneimine (PEI) grafting density was optimized at 2.8 mmol/g, balancing chemisorption capacity with diffusion kinetics. Long-term permeation tests over 500 hours show <5% decline in selectivity under 85% relative humidity, attributed to the hydrophobic Zr₆O₄(OH)₄ backbone shielding amine sites from water competition. Techno-economic analysis indicates capture costs of $42/tonne CO₂ at 90% capture rate for a 500 MW plant.

Author Biographies

Sarah Okonkwo Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK

Sarah Okonkwo is an associate professor at Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK. Their research focuses on advanced materials, with over 24 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Hiroshi Tanaka Research Institute for Energy Conservation, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8568, Japan

Hiroshi Tanaka is a senior researcher at Research Institute for Energy Conservation, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8568, Japan. Their research focuses on computational science, with over 78 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Lin Zhang State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China

Lin Zhang is an associate professor at State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China. Their research focuses on environmental engineering, with over 24 publications in peer-reviewed journals.