Facilitated transport membranes for CO2/CH4 separation - State of the art

Membrane separation is a promising alternative for gas purification. Facilitated transport (FT) membranes, with reversible reactions to promote CO₂ transport, can simultaneously obtain high CO₂ permeability and selectivity of CO₂ over other gases, such as CH₄, making FT membranes particularly interesting for CO₂/CH₄ separation. An overview of the state-of-the-art FT membranes used for CO₂/CH₄ separation is desired for the R&D of industrial membrane applications. This paper has reviewed the development progress and advances in various FT membranes for CO₂/CH₄ separation, including mobile carrier FT membranes, fixed site carrier FT membranes, and mixed matrix FT membranes. Over 100 different kinds of membrane materials with over 500 gas separation data have been summarized with performance data collected and analyzed. Perspectives of FT membranes for CO₂/CH₄ separation are also proposed.