[Digestion] Digestion Digest, Vol 16, Issue 8

Sun Oct 14 12:18:49 EDT 2007

Hello all:

Re: separation of methane and CO2 (assuming gas phase only).

I'd appreciate any information on companies that have commercial systems
separating these two gasses. Purpose: upgrade biogas (65-75% methane) to
pipeline quality (~ 97% methane), while also possibly recovering value
from the CO2.

Thanks and regards to all.

Mel

Melvin S. Finstein, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science
 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Head, ArrowBio USA

105 Carmel Road
Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 242-0341
Email: finstein at envsci.rutgers.edu
Skype: melvinfinstein

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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. New Plastic Membrane (Madhu Ranganathan)
>    2. Re: New Plastic Membrane (Stephen Etheridge)
>    3. Re: New Plastic Membrane (Duncan Martin)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:23:22 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Madhu Ranganathan <madhurangi at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Digestion] New Plastic Membrane
> To: digestion at listserv.repp.org
> Message-ID: <961111.99550.qm at web53001.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> This new item appeared on the Times Of India
>
> WASHINGTON: A new membrane that mimics pores found in plants and allows
> carbon dioxide to move through while preventing the movement of methane,
> could be used to cut greenhouse gas emissions while purifying water at the
> same time.
>
> The membrane allows small molecules such as those of carbon dioxide to
> move through its pores while preventing the movement of larger molecules
> such as methane.
>
> Separating carbon dioxide from methane is important in natural gas
> processing and gas recovery from landfill.
>
> Dr Anita Hill of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, part of the
> research team, said: ?This plastic will help solve problems of small
> molecule separation, whether related to clean coal technology, separating
> greenhouse gases, increasing the energy efficiency of water purification,
> or producing and delivering energy from hydrogen?.
>
> ?The ability of the new plastic to separate small molecules surpasses the
> limits of any conventional plastics. It can separate carbon dioxide from
> natural gas a few hundred times faster than current plastic membranes and
> its performance is four times better in terms of purity of the separated
> gas,? she said.
>
> She said the secret lay in the hourglass shape of the pores, which helped
> separate molecules faster and using less energy than other pore shapes.
>
> In plant cell membranes, hourglass-shaped pores known as aquaporins
> selectively conduct water molecules in and out of cells while preventing
> the passage of other molecules such as salt. Dr Hill said the research had
> shown how plastics could be systematically adjusted to block or pass
> different molecules depending on the specific application.
>
> For example, these membranes might provide a low energy method for the
> removal of salt from water, carbon dioxide from natural gas, or hydrogen
> from nitrogen, she said.
>
>
> Would'nt it be just the thing AD needed???????
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally,  mobile search that gives answers, not web
> links.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:33:41 +0700
> From: "Stephen Etheridge" <spe at pieinternational.com>
> Subject: Re: [Digestion] New Plastic Membrane
> To: "Madhu Ranganathan" <madhurangi at yahoo.com>,
> 	<digestion at listserv.repp.org>
> Message-ID: <004101c80e13$03f7fb50$2111a8c0 at GANDALF>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> ???? Methane is smaller than Carbon Dioxide in all structural formations!
>
> Dr Stephen Etheridge
> CTO
> AsiaBiogas
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Madhu Ranganathan" <madhurangi at yahoo.com>
> To: <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
> Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 3:23 AM
> Subject: [Digestion] New Plastic Membrane
>
>
> This new item appeared on the Times Of India
>
> WASHINGTON: A new membrane that mimics pores found in plants and allows
> carbon dioxide to move through while preventing the movement of methane,
> could be used to cut greenhouse gas emissions while purifying water at the
> same time.
>
> The membrane allows small molecules such as those of carbon dioxide to
> move
> through its pores while preventing the movement of larger molecules such
> as
> methane.
>
> Separating carbon dioxide from methane is important in natural gas
> processing and gas recovery from landfill.
>
> Dr Anita Hill of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, part of the
> research team, said: "This plastic will help solve problems of small
> molecule separation, whether related to clean coal technology, separating
> greenhouse gases, increasing the energy efficiency of water purification,
> or
> producing and delivering energy from hydrogen".
>
> "The ability of the new plastic to separate small molecules surpasses the
> limits of any conventional plastics. It can separate carbon dioxide from
> natural gas a few hundred times faster than current plastic membranes and
> its performance is four times better in terms of purity of the separated
> gas," she said.
>
> She said the secret lay in the hourglass shape of the pores, which helped
> separate molecules faster and using less energy than other pore shapes.
>
> In plant cell membranes, hourglass-shaped pores known as aquaporins
> selectively conduct water molecules in and out of cells while preventing
> the
> passage of other molecules such as salt. Dr Hill said the research had
> shown
> how plastics could be systematically adjusted to block or pass different
> molecules depending on the specific application.
>
> For example, these membranes might provide a low energy method for the
> removal of salt from water, carbon dioxide from natural gas, or hydrogen
> from nitrogen, she said.
>
>
> Would'nt it be just the thing AD needed???????
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally,  mobile search that gives answers, not web
> links.
> _______________________________________________
> Digestion mailing list
> Digestion at listserv.repp.org
> http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_listserv.repp.org
> Beginner's Guide to Biogas
> http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/
> http://info.bioenergylists.org
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:23:10 +0100
> From: "Duncan Martin" <duncanjmartin at eircom.net>
> Subject: Re: [Digestion] New Plastic Membrane
> To: "Stephen Etheridge" <spe at pieinternational.com>,	"Madhu
> 	Ranganathan" <madhurangi at yahoo.com>, <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
> Message-ID: <026301c80e55$f3d59910$4a33869f at Dell1>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> I suspect the Times of India has simply inverted the mechanism, although
> the
> shape of the pores* might have an unexpected effect on mols of differing
> size.
>
> In other words, the methane might pass through, while the CO2 is retained.
> Just as effective? (In fact better if other troublesome contaminants, such
> as silanes, are also retained.**)
>
> (*I wonder what they mean by hourglass shaped? On which axis? A "keyhole"
> might have strange - and perhaps useful - selectivity. However, an axis
> perpendicular to the membrane is more likely, in which case you simply
> have
> a pore the size of the "waist" of the hourglass, with tapered entry and
> exit. Would that be MORE selective than a cylinder the same length of the
> diameter of the waist? A little LESS would seem more likely.)
>
> (**Silanes appear in LFG from cosmetics etc in domestic waste - and end up
> as abrasive silica in generator engines. Not a problem in AD, luckily!)
>
> Duncan J Martin
>
> Centre Councillor
> Republic of Ireland Centre
> Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
>
> ================================
> CONTACT DETAILS
> Duncan J Martin, PhD, CEng, CSci, MIEI, MCIWM, MIChemE
> 24 Townsfield, Cloughjordan, N Tipperary, Ireland
> Mobile: +353 86 8377 906
> Home: +353 505 42087
> Email: duncanjmartin at eircom.net
> ================================
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen Etheridge" <spe at pieinternational.com>
> To: "Madhu Ranganathan" <madhurangi at yahoo.com>;
> <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
> Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 4:33 AM
> Subject: Re: [Digestion] New Plastic Membrane
>
>
>> ???? Methane is smaller than Carbon Dioxide in all structural
>> formations!
>>
>> Dr Stephen Etheridge
>> CTO
>> AsiaBiogas
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Madhu Ranganathan" <madhurangi at yahoo.com>
>> To: <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 3:23 AM
>> Subject: [Digestion] New Plastic Membrane
>>
>>
>> This new item appeared on the Times Of India
>>
>> WASHINGTON: A new membrane that mimics pores found in plants and allows
>> carbon dioxide to move through while preventing the movement of methane,
>> could be used to cut greenhouse gas emissions while purifying water at
>> the
>> same time.
>>
>> The membrane allows small molecules such as those of carbon dioxide to
>> move
>> through its pores while preventing the movement of larger molecules such
>> as
>> methane.
>>
>> Separating carbon dioxide from methane is important in natural gas
>> processing and gas recovery from landfill.
>>
>> Dr Anita Hill of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, part of the
>> research team, said: "This plastic will help solve problems of small
>> molecule separation, whether related to clean coal technology,
>> separating
>> greenhouse gases, increasing the energy efficiency of water
>> purification,
>> or
>> producing and delivering energy from hydrogen".
>>
>> "The ability of the new plastic to separate small molecules surpasses
>> the
>> limits of any conventional plastics. It can separate carbon dioxide from
>> natural gas a few hundred times faster than current plastic membranes
>> and
>> its performance is four times better in terms of purity of the separated
>> gas," she said.
>>
>> She said the secret lay in the hourglass shape of the pores, which
>> helped
>> separate molecules faster and using less energy than other pore shapes.
>>
>> In plant cell membranes, hourglass-shaped pores known as aquaporins
>> selectively conduct water molecules in and out of cells while preventing
>> the
>> passage of other molecules such as salt. Dr Hill said the research had
>> shown
>> how plastics could be systematically adjusted to block or pass different
>> molecules depending on the specific application.
>>
>> For example, these membranes might provide a low energy method for the
>> removal of salt from water, carbon dioxide from natural gas, or hydrogen
>> from nitrogen, she said.
>>
>>
>> Would'nt it be just the thing AD needed???????
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------
>> Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally,  mobile search that gives answers, not web
>> links.
>> _______________________________________________
>> Digestion mailing list
>> Digestion at listserv.repp.org
>> http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_listserv.repp.org
>> Beginner's Guide to Biogas
>> http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/
>> http://info.bioenergylists.org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Digestion mailing list
>> Digestion at listserv.repp.org
>> http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_listserv.repp.org
>> Beginner's Guide to Biogas
>> http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/
>> http://info.bioenergylists.org
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.5/1058 - Release Date:
>> 08/10/2007 16:54
>>
>
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> End of Digestion Digest, Vol 16, Issue 8
> ****************************************
>

Melvin S. Finstein, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science
 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Head, ArrowBio USA

105 Carmel Road
Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 242-0341
Email: finstein at envsci.rutgers.edu
Skype: melvinfinstein