In the topical area of CO2 capture, the centre as devoted significant resources in the last few years, as the gas separation membrane process offers a unique set of benefits over the existing amine solvent absorption process for CO2 separation and capture These include smaller footprints and reduced chemical usage, however, current commercially available membranes cannot provide the required high CO2 permeation rates or selectivity (CO2/N2) to deal with the large volumes of either syngas for pre-combustion or flue gas for post-combustion capture.
The centre developed partnerships with the CO2CRC and the Australian Low Emission Coal R&D organization develop a range of new membrane materials. The membranes formed in both flat sheets and hollow fibres seek to provide improved permeability and selectivity compared to the existing membrane technology, with durability and life expectancies that will be able to be commercially competitive with existing non-membrane CO2 capture technologies.