MEMBRANE-BASED GAS SEPARATION

An exhaustive treatment of the past decade of intense activity in the membrane-based gas separation field would require an entire book and provide more detail than necessary to capture the essence of this dynamic field. This review seeks to define the current scientific, technological and commercial boundaries of the field of membrane-based gas separation and to project the position of these boundaries for the immediate future. The most understandable connection between these three areas lies in the material science and engineering achievements and limitations that dominate the application of the technology at the present time. Achievements over the past ten to fifteen have promoted the current strong interest in membrane-based gas separations, and the promise of steady progress toward removing remaining limitations suggests the likelihood of its long term growth as a field. Material selection, membrane formation, and trends in module and system characteristics are discussed in the context of the challenges and opportunities that exist for major commercial applications of the technology.