Research Projects

In recent decades, rapid industrialization, population growth, and the expansion of the global economy have led to a significant increase in pollutant emissions, primarily from fossil fuel combustion, including coal, crude oil, and natural gas. The primary contributors to CO₂ emissions are industrial processes and energy production, where CO₂ is produced as a byproduct, which traps heat and accelerates climate change. Industries like steel and iron production, cement manufacturing, coal-fired power generation, and pulp and paper significantly contribute to carbon emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that unless immediate action is taken, atmospheric CO₂ levels could exceed 450 ppm by 2035, resulting in a global temperature increase of 2°C. In response, international agreements such as the Paris Agreement (COP 21) and commitments from COP 26 have seen nations vow to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. One viable solution is membrane-based gas separation, which offers advantages like high throughput, low energy consumption, reduced carbon footprints, and scalability, positioning it as a promising alternative to current gas separation technologies. In this context, this project aims to develop novel functional hollow fibre membranes using the dry-wet spinning method, focusing on achieving high CO₂ selectivity and permeability by functionalizing the membranes with a CO₂-selective layer. This innovation seeks to exceed the Robeson Upper Bound for CO₂ separation, ensuring effective performance in extracting CO₂ from flue gas, shifted syngas and biogases, particularly at low CO₂ concentrations, which are often overlooked in existing literature. The proposal also includes a plan for scalable membrane manufacturing and aims to assess the membranes under simulated conditions. This project will eventually lead a set of CO2-selective membranes for the industrially relevant gas pairs (CO2/N2, CO2/H2, CO2/CH4), with a target TRL of 6-7. We aim to address the issue of CO2 plasticization during long-term studies. The project will train personnel in membrane material synthesis, characterization, and gas separation applications while expecting the generation of intellectual properties. Ultimately, our membrane materials will be a cost-effective solution to combat global CO₂ emissions and aid climate mitigation efforts.