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NASA NTRS1985

Improved aqueous scrubber for collection of soluble atmospheric trace gases

A new concentration technique for the extraction and enrichment of water-soluble atmospheric trace gases has been developed. The gas scrubbing technique efficiently extracts soluble gases from a large volume flow rate of air sample into a small volume of refluxed trapping solution. The gas scrubber utilizes a small nebulizing nozzle that mixes the incoming air with an aqueous extracting solution to form an air/droplet mist. The mist provides excellent interfacial surface areas for mass transfer. The resulting mist sprays upward through the reaction chamber until it impinges upon a hydrophobic membrane that virtually blocks the passage of droplets but offers little resistance to the existing gas flow. Droplets containing the scrubbed gases coalesce on the membrane and drip back into the reservoir for further refluxing. After a suitable concentration period, the extracting solution containing the analyte can be withdrawn for analysis. The nebulization-reflex concentration technique is more efficient (maximum flow of gas through the minimum volume of extractant) than conventional bubbler/impinger gas extraction techniques and is offered as an alternative method.

Cofer, W. R., III↗

DOE OSTI2023

Fast Water Transport through Subnanometer Diameter Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Membranes

Small-diameter carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have outstanding mass-transport properties, especially enhanced water flow. Here, we report on water transport through the first macroscopic membranes with vertically oriented, subnanometer (0.8 nm) CNT pores, made by a scalable, solution-based method with electric-field alignment of bulk-grown single-wall CNTs (SWCNTs). After plasma etching to open pores, vertically aligned CNTs served as the primary pathway for liquid-water transport. The CNT membranes showed fast pressure-driven water transport, with up to 105-fold enhancement compared to no-slip Hagen–Poiseuille flow. Comparing 0.8 and 3 nm CNTs, we found that the hydrodynamic slip lengths increased with decreasing nanotube diameter, reaching 8.5 μm for the smaller-diameter CNTs. Here, the results suggest that pressure-driven water transport in small-diameter CNTs is increasingly dominated by entrance resistance, thus becoming independent of nanotube length. Scalably fabricated membranes incorporating vertically aligned subnanometer CNT pores could have applications in water filtration, desalination, and energy harvesting.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Fabrication of high-performance gas-diffusion-electrode based membrane-electrode assemblies

This paper demonstrates the fabrication and processing steps required to produce high performance fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) based on spray-coated gas-diffusion electrodes (GDEs). It is demonstrated that coating the catalyst layer with a thin layer of ionomer and then hot pressing the GDEs to the membrane is required to achieve comparable catalyst activity and air performance to catalyst-coated-membrane MEAs. We show that there is a critical amount of ionomer required to achieve maximized performance. Using electron microscopy, we show that the combination of the ionomer overlayer and hot-pressing bonds the catalyst layer to the membrane, increasing the interfacial contact area and quality of this interface. We also find that the ionomer overlayer smooths the surface of the GDE and provides increased contact area between the GDE and the membrane. Additionally, we demonstrate that much less ionomer is required for high-performance than has been previously reported. Through model fitting of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we show that this improvement in the catalyst layer - membrane interface reduces the effective catalyst layer resistance, which reduces Ohmic losses and increases catalyst utilization.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2025

The Effects of Morphology and Hydration on Anion Transport in Self-Assembled Nanoporous Membranes

Ordered nanoporous polymer membranes offer opportunities for systematically probing the mechanisms of ion transport under confinement and for realizing useful materials for electrochemical devices. Here, we examine the impact of morphology and ion hydration on the transport of hydroxide and bromide anions in nanostructured polymer membranes with 1 nm scale pores. We use aqueous lyotropic self-assembly of an amphiphilic monomer, with a polymerizable surfactant to create direct hexagonal (H I ) and gyroid mesophases. UV-induced cross-linking leads to the formation of nanoporous polymers with water continuous channels. The membranes are mechanically robust and chemically durable, resisting degradation during extended exposure to 1 M NaOH solutions. We use a combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, pulsed-field gradient NMR spectroscopy, and molecular simulations to elucidate anion and water transport. The as-prepared hexagonal systems display higher conductivity and lower activation energies for both anions relative to the gyroid system. When compared at equivalent hydration, however, gyroid and hexagonal membranes show similar activation energies, with nearly identical conductivities at ambient temperatures. Both ionic conductivity and water diffusivity increase with increasing hydration. Here, the water uptake as a function of relative humidity for the hexagonal and gyroid mesophases ultimately dictates the water diffusion and magnitude of the ionic conductivity, with the hexagonal system showing overall higher capacity for hydration and thus faster ion transport. The durability of these materials under aggressive alkaline conditions and their relatively high hydroxide ion conductivity suggest that these nanostructured polymers could be of interest as membranes for alkaline fuel cells.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2023

Scaling of ionic conductance in a fluctuating single-layer nanoporous membrane

Abstract Single-layer membranes have emerged as promising candidates for applications requiring high transport rates due to their low resistance to molecular transport. Owing to their atomically thin structure, these membranes experience significant microscopic fluctuations, emphasizing the need to explore their impact on ion transport processes. In this study, we investigate the effects of membrane fluctuations on the elementary scaling behavior of ion conductance $$G$$ G as a function of ion concentration $$c_{0}$$ c 0 , represented as $$G = \beta c_{0}^{\alpha }$$ G = β c 0 α , using molecular dynamics simulations. Our findings reveal that membrane fluctuations not only alter the conductance coefficient $$\beta$$ β but also the power-law exponent $$\alpha$$ α . We identify two distinct frequency regimes of membrane fluctuations, GHz-scale and THz-scale fluctuations, and examine their roles in conductance scaling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the alteration of conductance scaling arises from the non-linearity between ion conductance and membrane shape. This work provides a fundamental understanding of ion transport in fluctuating membranes.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2025

Mineral Scale Formation during Crossflow Reverse Osmosis at Constant Flux and Constant Transmembrane Pressure Conditions

Mineral scale formation on membrane surfaces is a significant challenge in reverse osmosis water purification. Laboratory fouling experiments are typically run such that the transmembrane pressure (TMP) is fixed, and the permeate flux decreases over time as scales accumulate on the membrane surface. However, this change in flux means that the hydrodynamic conditions at the membrane surface are continuously changing, which could affect crystallization and foulant deposition processes. Operating under constant permeate flux conditions, in contrast, is advantageous because it keeps the hydrodynamic conditions relatively consistent, making it possible to compare how membrane properties (e.g., surface chemistry) affect fouling propensity. Industrial reverse osmosis operations are not run strictly in either constant TMP or constant flux mode; while they may start at a constant TMP, feed pressure may be periodically adjusted to maintain permeate water production within a specified range. Here, the scarcity of constant permeate flux reverse osmosis scaling experiments reported in the literature frustrates efforts to compare membrane fouling processes under constant TMP and constant flux conditions. For the first time, the evolution of the fouling layer resistance was compared as a function of cumulative permeate volume per membrane area during constant TMP and constant flux reverse osmosis filtrations. Scaling experiments were conducted by challenging commercial reverse osmosis membranes with a model feed solution nearly saturated with calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum). At low fluxes, the increase in fouling layer resistance was quantitatively similar for the two operational modes. In contrast, at high fluxes, the fouling layer resistance increased more rapidly in constant flux filtration than in constant TMP filtration. The mechanism of scale formation in constant TMP and constant flux operation was self-limiting and self-reinforcing, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Effect of electrode rinse solutions on the electrodialysis of concentrated salts

The data presented indicate that modest attention to the chemistry of the electrode rinse solution can yield as much as 56% improvement in process efficiency. When operating electrodialysis (ED) with salt concentrations greater than 10,000 mg/l (as NaCl) the amperage can be relatively high even at low voltages. To maximize the overall rate of ion transport from diluate to concentrate, there is a need to minimize resistances in the electrode cells since these can represent as much as 30% of the total resistances in the entire process and in this particular ED unit, represented resistance roughly equivalent to that within the membrane stack. This work describes the performance of a 10-cell pair, 200 cm 2 (0.02 m 2 ) per membrane, pilot ED unit operated in batch mode at 5 V potential. The feedstock to the stack was varied from 0.5% to 6% NaCl. Results from Volt-amp profiles (2.0–15 V) were used as the rationale for choosing the preferred electrode rinse solution, 90 g/l (kg/m 3 ) disodium sulfate at pH 12.5. The recommended solution of 30 g/l (kg/m 3 ) disodium sulfate at neutral pH was tested against stronger solutions (60, 90, and 120 g/l (kg/m 3 ) disodium sulfate) at neutral pH and with 1 g/l (kg/m 3 ) sodium hydroxide added to yield solutions at pH 12.5. There were stark differences in the performance of the ED unit between the solutions at pH 7 and those at pH 12.5. The slopes of the Volt-amp profiles improved indicating less resistance to ion flow at pH 12.5. Most of the difference can be attributed to the greater conductivity of sodium hydroxide compared to disodium sulfate, where even a modest addition of 1 g/l (kg/m 3 ) sodium hydroxide increased the conductivity of the solution between 8 and 20% depending on the concentration of disodium sulfate. Most notably, the initiation voltage was 2.39 ± 0.08 V with solutions at pH 7 and 1.99 V ± 0.04 V when the rinse solutions were around pH 12.5, a difference of around 0.42 V. Since the full batch runs were performed at 5.0 V, this 0.42 V differential represented a loss of 8% in process efficiency. A series of tests showed a shift in initiation voltage occurred between pH 11.5 and 12.5. Nernst equations for water electrolysis are coupled with a simple flux model that estimates the concentration of hydroxide and hydronium ions at the electrode surfaces. This model indicates that the potential demanded by the electrodes is directly linked to the current. Furthermore, there is a steep drop in the potential demanded by the anode when there is sufficient hydroxide available to generate oxygen from hydroxide as opposed to generation from water. The voltage demand is minimal at pH 12.5 and reflective of the reference standard voltage (just over 1.23 V predicted at 0.1 amps). However, the flux model predicts that the voltage demanded by the electrodes at pH 7 is 1.61 V at 0.1 amps (the lowest amperage measurable with the power pack). In conclusion, comparing this result to the reference standard (E 0 = -1.23 V) yields a satisfactory explanation for the observed difference below reference standard of 0.42 V.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2010

Fuel-Cell Water Separator

The main product of a typical fuel cell is water, and many fuel-cell configurations use the flow of excess gases (i.e., gases not consumed by the reaction) to drive the resultant water out of the cell. This two-phase mixture then exits through an exhaust port where the two fluids must again be separated to prevent the fuel cell from flooding and to facilitate the reutilization of both fluids. The Glenn Research Center (GRC) has designed, built, and tested an innovative fuel-cell water separator that not only removes liquid water from a fuel cell s exhaust ports, but does so with no moving parts or other power-consuming components. Instead it employs the potential and kinetic energies already present in the moving exhaust flow. In addition, the geometry of the separator is explicitly intended to be integrated into a fuel-cell stack, providing a direct mate with the fuel cell s existing flow ports. The separator is also fully scalable, allowing it to accommodate a wide range of water removal requirements. Multiple separators can simply be "stacked" in series or parallel to adapt to the water production/removal rate. GRC s separator accomplishes the task of water removal by coupling a high aspect- ratio flow chamber with a highly hydrophilic, polyethersulfone membrane. The hydrophilic membrane readily absorbs and transports the liquid water away from the mixture while simultaneously resisting gas penetration. The expansive flow path maximizes the interaction of the water particles with the membrane while minimizing the overall gas flow restriction. In essence, each fluid takes its corresponding path of least resistance, and the two fluids are effectively separated. The GRC fuel-cell water separator has a broad range of applications, including commercial hydrogen-air fuel cells currently being considered for power generation in automobiles.

Burke, Kenneth Alan↗

DOE OSTI2022

Measurement of Resistance, Porosity, and Water Contact Angle of Porous Transport Layers for Low-Temperature Electrolysis Technologies

The porous transport layer is an important component of low-temperature electrolysis devices, such as proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers or anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers. PTLs have significant influence on the cell performance as their bulk resistance can impact the ohmic resistance, their contact resistance can impact electrode performance, and their structure can impact the liquid flow to the cell, which could cause mass-transport losses. In order to improve cell performance, optimization of the PTL is critical. Standardized protocols should be utilized to adequately compare PTLs being developed from different institutions. This method will detail a standardized protocol for measuring the resistance of the PTL using a four-wire setup and will also detail a process for measuring the porosity and water contact angle of the PTL using capillary flow porometry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

How cholesterol stiffens unsaturated lipid membranes

Cholesterol is an integral component of eukaryotic cell membranes and a key molecule in controlling membrane fluidity, organization, and other physicochemical parameters. It also plays a regulatory function in antibiotic drug resistance and the immune response of cells against viruses, by stabilizing the membrane against structural damage. While it is well understood that, structurally, cholesterol exhibits a densification effect on fluid lipid membranes, its effects on membrane bending rigidity are assumed to be nonuniversal; i.e., cholesterol stiffens saturated lipid membranes, but has no stiffening effect on membranes populated by unsaturated lipids, such as 1,2-dioleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC). This observation presents a clear challenge to structure–property relationships and to our understanding of cholesterol-mediated biological functions. Here, using a comprehensive approach—combining neutron spin-echo (NSE) spectroscopy, solid-state deuterium NMR ( 2 H NMR) spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations—we report that cholesterol locally increases the bending rigidity of DOPC membranes, similar to saturated membranes, by increasing the bilayer’s packing density. All three techniques, inherently sensitive to mesoscale bending fluctuations, show up to a threefold increase in effective bending rigidity with increasing cholesterol content approaching a mole fraction of 50%. Our observations are in good agreement with the known effects of cholesterol on the area-compressibility modulus and membrane structure, reaffirming membrane structure–property relationships. The current findings point to a scale-dependent manifestation of membrane properties, highlighting the need to reassess cholesterol’s role in controlling membrane bending rigidity over mesoscopic length and time scales of important biological functions, such as viral budding and lipid–protein interactions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1977

Anion exchange membranes for electrochemical oxidation-reduction energy storage system

Oxidation-reduction couples in concentrated solutions separated by appropriate ion selective membranes were considered as an attractive approach to bulk electrical energy storage. A key problem is the development of the membrane. Several promising types of anionic membranes are discussed which were developed and evaluated for redox energy storage systems. The copolymers of ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate with either 2-vinylpyridine or vinylbenzl chloride gave stable resistance values compared to the copolymer of vinylbenzlchloride and divinylbenzene which served as the baseline membrane. A polyvinylchloride film aminated with tetraethylenepentamine had a low resistance but a high ion transfer rate. A slurry coated vinylpyridine had the lowest ion transfer rate. All these membranes functioned well in laboratory cells at ambient temperatures with the acidic chloride oxidant/reductant system, Fe 3, Fe 2/Ti 3, Ti 4.

Odonnell, P. M.↗

DOE OSTI2021

The Arabidopsis thaliana nucleotide sugar transporter GONST2 is a functional homolog of GONST1

Abstract Glycosylinositolphosphorylceramides (GIPCs) are the predominant lipid in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. Characterized GIPC glycosylation mutants have severe or lethal plant phenotypes. However, the function of the glycosylation is unclear. Previously, we characterized Arabidopsis thaliana GONST1 and showed that it was a nucleotide sugar transporter which provides GDP‐mannose for GIPC glycosylation. gonst1 has a severe growth phenotype, as well as a constitutive defense response. Here, we characterize a mutant in GONST1’s closest homolog, GONST2. The gonst2‐ 1 allele has a minor change to GIPC headgroup glycosylation. Like other reported GIPC glycosylation mutants, gonst1‐1gonst2‐1 has reduced cellulose, a cell wall polymer that is synthesized at the plasma membrane. The gonst2‐1 allele has increased resistance to a biotrophic pathogen Golovinomyces orontii but not the necrotrophic pathogen Botrytis cinerea . Expression of GONST2 under the GONST1 promoter can rescue the gonst1 phenotype, indicating that GONST2 has a similar function to GONST1 in providing GDP‐D‐Man for GIPC mannosylation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Analyzing the upscaling potential and geospatial siting of calcination-free calcium hydroxide production in the United States

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility and the embodied carbon dioxide intensity (eCI) of a novel process for producing nominally pure (>95 mass %) calcium hydroxide without the need for the thermal calcination of limestone. The process relies on the aqueous extraction of calcium from alkaline industrial wastes following which portlandite (Ca(OH) 2 : CH, a.k.a. slaked lime or hydrated lime) is precipitated by application of a waste-heat based thermal swing. This approach takes advantage of the temperature dependent solubility of CH at ambient pressure. We evaluated the feasibility of implementing this process in the U.S. based on the geospatial availability of waste heat and slags as a Ca-source. For the base case, the cost of production of “Low-Temperature Portlandite (LTP)” is 2-to-3 times that of traditional portlandite (~$180/tonne). The main driver of cost is the electricity demand for reverse osmosis (RO) which is used to concentrate Ca-ions in solution, and the costs of membrane replacement. Our sensitivity analysis showed that parity with the cost of production of traditional portlandite is readily achievable by selecting membranes with better durability (i.e., better pH resistance) and flux (i.e., higher permeability) without sacrificing selectivity. Significantly, LTP features an eCI that is between 40%- and - 80 % lower than its traditional counterpart when electricity is sourced from natural gas combustion or wind power, respectively. Finally, our geospatial analysis reveals that there are three areas in the U.S. with the potential for implementation of industrial-scale facilities that could produce at least 50 tonnes of pure Ca(OH) 2 per day, while achieving a production cost of ~$270 per tonne of Ca(OH) 2 , owing to the proximity between slag feedstocks and waste heat sources.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Genome-wide fitness profiling reveals molecular mechanisms that bacteria use to interact with Trichoderma atroviride exometabolites

Trichoderma spp. are ubiquitous rhizosphere fungi capable of producing several classes of secondary metabolites that can modify the dynamics of the plant-associated microbiome. However, the bacterial-fungal mechanisms that mediate these interactions have not been fully characterized. Here, a random barcode transposon-site sequencing (RB-TnSeq) approach was employed to identify bacterial genes important for fitness in the presence of Trichoderma atroviride exudates. We selected three rhizosphere bacteria with RB-TnSeq mutant libraries that can promote plant growth: the nitrogen fixers Klebsiella michiganensis M5aI and Herbaspirillum seropedicae SmR1, and Pseudomonas simiae WCS417. As a non-rhizosphere species, Pseudomonas putida KT2440 was also included. From the RB-TnSeq data, nitrogen-fixing bacteria competed mainly for iron and required the siderophore transport system TonB/ExbB for optimal fitness in the presence of T . atroviride exudates. In contrast, P . simiae and P . putida were highly dependent on mechanisms associated with membrane lipid modification that are required for resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs). A mutant in the Hog1-MAP kinase (Δ tmk 3) gene of T . atroviride showed altered expression patterns of many nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) biosynthetic gene clusters with potential antibiotic activity. In contrast to exudates from wild-type T . atroviride , bacterial mutants containing lesions in genes associated with resistance to antibiotics did not show fitness defects when RB-TnSeq libraries were exposed to exudates from the Δ tmk3 mutant. Unexpectedly, exudates from wild-type T . atroviride and the Δ tmk 3 mutant rescued purine auxotrophic mutants of H . seropedicae , K . michiganensis and P . simiae . Metabolomic analysis on exudates from wild-type T . atroviride and the Δ tmk 3 mutant showed that both strains excrete purines and complex metabolites; functional Tmk3 is required to produce some of these metabolites. This study highlights the complex interplay between Trichoderma -metabolites and soil bacteria, revealing both beneficial and antagonistic effects, and underscoring the intricate and multifaceted nature of this relationship.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1991

Analysis of foil bearings for high speed operation in cryogenic applications

The general objective of this project is to develop analysis tools which are required for the design of foil bearings to be used in cryogenic applications. During the second year of this project, a general analysis approach and code for journal bearings operating under steady state conditions will be completed. This will be followed by the initiation of an investigation into transient behavior of foil bearings to determine their performance in rotor systems. Foil bearings have been proposed as an alternative to rolling element bearings for use in cryogenic turbopumps in liquid propellant rocket engines. This type of bearing offers several advantages over rolling element bearings since they would use the cryogenic pump fluid for a lubricant and have structural flexibility. These bearings have the potential of high reliability and long life. The bearing surface is constructed of a 'foil' which resists deflection by a combination of bending, membrane, and elastic foundation effects. The relative motion between the rotating shaft and the foil causes pressure in the fluid film to develop. This pressure deflects the the foil surface away from the shaft. Once a full fluid film is established between the foil and the rotor shaft, contact no longer takes place and there is no subsequent wear of the surfaces. The flexible foil structure of the bearing allows it to compensate for minor tolerance and manufacturing defects. This same flexibility also has a significant effect on the dynamic performance of the rotor-bearing system.

Carpino, Marc↗

NASA NTRS2001

Silicon micromachined accelerometer/seismometer and method of making the same

A silicon-based microaccelerometer for seismic application is provided using a low-resonant frequency (10 Hz), large proof mass (1 gram), and high Q suspension to achieve high sensitivity of less than 1 ng with a bandwidth a 0.05 to 50 Hz. The proof mass is cut away from a planar substrate in the form of a disk using abrasive cutting, which disk closely fits but does not touch a surrounding angular frame. The spring of the microaccelerometer between the angular frame and the proof mass is provided from two continuous, 3 microns thick membranes. The fixed capacitive electrodes are provided on separate, subsequently bonded substrates, and movable capacitive plates are provided on the membranes. By fabricating capacitive plates on the separate substrates, the gap between the fixed and movable capacitive plates in the differential capacitive sensor is closely controlled. The use of continuous membranes for the spring produces a shock resistant, robust sensor.

Martin, Richard D.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Removing Pathogens Using Nano-Ceramic-Fiber Filters

A nano-aluminum-oxide fiber of only 2 nanometers in diameter was used to develop a ceramic-fiber filter. The fibers are electropositive and, when formulated into a filter material (NanoCeram(TradeMark)), would attract electro-negative particles such as bacteria and viruses. The ability to detect and then remove viruses as well as bacteria is of concern in space cabins since they may be carried onboard by space crews. Moreover, an improved filter was desired that would polish the effluent from condensed moisture and wastewater, producing potable drinking water. A laboratory- size filter was developed that was capable of removing greater than 99.9999 percent of bacteria and virus. Such a removal was achieved at flow rates hundreds of times greater than those through ultraporous membranes that remove particles by sieving. Because the pore size of the new filter was rather large as compared to ultraporous membranes, it was found to be more resistant to clogging. Additionally, a full-size cartridge is being developed that is capable of serving a full space crew. During this ongoing effort, research demonstrated that the filter media was a very efficient adsorbent for DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), and endotoxins. Since the adsorption is based on the charge of the macromolecules, there is also a potential for separating proteins and other particulates on the basis of their charge differences. The separation of specific proteins is a major new thrust of biotechnology. The principal application of NanoCeram filters is based on their ability to remove viruses from water. The removal of more than 99.9999 percent of viruses was achieved by a NanoCeram polishing filter added to the effluent of an existing filtration device. NanoCeram is commercially available in laboratory-size filter discs and in the form of a syringe filter. The unique characteristic of the filter can be demonstrated by its ability to remove particulate dyes such as Metanyl yellow. Its particle size is only 2 nanometers, about the size of a DNA molecule, yet the NanoCeram syringe filter is capable of retaining the dyes as the fluid is passed through the syringe, without much back-pressure. Endotoxins, which are contaminants that are part of the residue of destroyed bacteria, can cause toxic shock and are therefore of major concern in pharmaceutical products. The NanoCeram syringe filter is capable of removing greater than 99.96 percent of the endotoxins.

Tepper, Frederick↗

DOE OSTI2024

Development of Self-Assembly Supports Enabling Transformational Membrane Performance for Cost-Effective Carbon Capture

This final technical report describes work conducted by Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) on the development of membranes with transformational performance for carbon capture under award number DE-FE0031596. The work was performed from June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2024. For more than a decade, MTR has worked in partnership with DOE to develop an innovative membrane-based CO 2 capture process. This effort has included the first test of membrane modules with coal-fired flue gas at the Arizona Public Services (APS) Cholla plant in 2010; the accumulation of >11,000 hours of flue gas operation for Polaris modules on a bench-scale 1 tonne/day (TPD) system at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC); scale-up of first-generation (Gen-1) Polaris to a 20 TPD small pilot system, and successful operation of this system on a flue gas slipstream at NCCC and in integrated boiler testing at Babcock & Wilcox (B&W). Through continued development efforts, a second-generation (Gen-2) version of the Polaris membrane has been scaled-up to pilot production. This membrane offers 70% higher CO 2 permeance with similar selectivity to the base case Polaris. MTR also developed planar modules designed specifically for the low-pressure, high-volumetric flow rate process conditions of flue gas operation. These new modules have significantly lower pressure-drop values compared to the type originally used (spiral-wound modules), which results in significant energy savings. The goal of the work described in this report was to improve on the Polaris Gen-2 membrane with the ultimate aim to reduce the cost of carbon capture. The majority of the effort was to develop improved support membranes for the multi-layer composite structure of MTR’s Polaris membrane. Earlier work at MTR had identified the support structure as limiting membrane permeances, not because the support itself represents a permeation resistance, but because the distribution of pores at the surface of the support imposes a geometric restriction to diffusion in the layers above it. Support membranes were prepared from a range of polymers, including commercially available block copolymers and a custom synthesized block copolymer alternative. The best support membranes developed in this project reduced the geometric restriction by a factor of two to three. These supports then were used to produce Polaris composite membranes with improved permeances. The second topic was to create a high-selectivity version of the Polaris membrane. The high-selectivity version uses a novel selective polymeric material and high selectivities were confirmed in experiments at MTR. The material is not easily made into very thin films. Consequently, the permeances are significantly lower than the Polaris Gen-2 membrane. The utility of this membrane is therefore limited to the carbon dioxide purification step that produces liquid CO 2 . A Technical and Economic Analysis (TEA) was performed for a carbon capture system that uses both advanced membrane types. The TEA shows the novel advanced membranes reduce the cost of capture by 10%, from $63.32/tonne CO 2 to $56.90/tonne CO 2 (2022 USD). Most of the development work was carried out with laboratory-scale casting and coating equipment. A number, but not all, of the improvements identified have been implemented on commercial-scale manufacturing equipment. The focus of future work at MTR is to incorporate the advancements made into the Polaris membrane manufacturing process.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗