Facilitated transport membranes in post-combustion carbon capture: Recent advancements in polymer materials and challenges towards practical application

Abstract

Facilitated transport membranes for post-combustion carbon capture are one of the technologies to achieve efficient and large-scale capture. The central principle is to utilize the affinity of CO for the carrier to achieve efficient separation and to break the Robson upper bound. This paper reviews the progress of facilitated transport membranes research regarding polymer materials, principles, and problems faced at this stage. Firstly, we briefly introduce the transport mechanism of the facilitated transport membranes. Then the research progress of several major polymers used for facilitated transport membranes for CO/N separation was presented in the past five years. Additionally, we analyze the primary challenges of facilitated transport membranes, including the influence of water, the effect of temperature, the saturation effect of the carrier, and the process configuration. Finally, we also delve into the challenges and competitiveness of facilitated transport membranes.