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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Clay Reimagined: Phyllosilicates as Future Membrane Technologies

Membrane technologies have made critical advances in resource recovery, water purification, and energy systems. However, it is difficult to systematically tune properties of traditional polymer membranes, and researchers have struggled to deliver challenging, advanced separations using these platforms. In recent years, membranes based on 2D materials have drawn attention for molecular-scale separations due to their unique properties, most notably their tunable nanoscale interlayer properties. Among the diverse family of 2D materials, phyllosilicates, a broad class of naturally abundant clay minerals, offer significant advantages in cost and scalability over synthetic 2D materials, positioning them as promising candidates for advanced membrane technologies. Their inherent structural and chemical properties, strategies for tailoring selective transport pathways, and recent advancements across applications including ion separation, water treatment, and energy conversion are discussed. Finally, key challenges and opportunities are outlined to guide future research in leveraging phyllosilicate membranes for high-performance separation technologies.

energy storage and conversion↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modularization of Ceramic Hollow Fiber Membrane Technology for Air Separation

This proposed project is aimed at studying high performance and economically competitive ceramic membrane technology for air separation and high-purity oxygen production using hollow fiber ceramic membrane stack and module technology. The design of the single permeate membrane is a hollow fiber substrate-supported thin tri-layer structure. Radially well-aligned micro-channels are embedded in the thick substrate and open at the inner surface of the substrate, enabling facile air/gas diffusion. The tri-layer structure of thin dense membrane layer (~ 10 µm) sandwiched by porous surface layer on either side is then built on the substrate using advanced fabrication process. The tri-layer structure design allows different materials to be used in different layers, where the materials of surface layers have high surface exchange coefficients while the material of dense layer has high bulk diffusivity. Such a synergetic combination leads to high permeation performance. The focus of the proposed project will be on membrane stack/module development using the developed single hollow fiber membranes, including: 1) fabrication and characterization of novel single hollow fiber membranes; 2) membrane stack design and assembly using fabricated single membranes; 3) stack modeling and analysis to guide membrane stack designs; 4) permeation performance testing and characterization of membrane stacks. The hollow fiber feature and simple sealing requirement enable very compact design of membrane stacks, which have excellent flexibility for further modularizations at different scales. The operations of such membrane stack and module may employ the exhaust heat from other components of Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle and oxy-combustion systems. Therefore, modularization of such an air separation membrane technology can be incorporated into the DOE’s REMS (radically engineered modular systems)-gasification skid and support the oxidant feed of an oxygen-blown REMS gasifier scaled to different ranges.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2024

Field Validation of a Pilot-Scale Black Liquor Membrane for Water Removal

Pulp and paper processing is considered one of the most energy-intensive industries in the manufacturing sector. Concentrating black liquor is a particularly energy-intensive process in this industry, used to recover pulping chemicals and generate high-pressure steam from dissolved wood solids. About 7% of pulp and paper energy usage, or nearly 164 trillion British thermal units (Btu) per year, is used to remove water from black liquor in U.S. kraft mills. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office is interested in this black liquor membrane technology because it offers the potential for a more energy-efficient and less carbon-intensive kraft pulping process. The membrane is intended to pretreat black liquor to reduce natural gas usage in evaporators that remove water from black liquor. This technology has the potential to be replicated across 99 kraft pulp mills in 24 states. This membrane technology is considered precommercial, and the demonstration was a small-scale side-stream field validation. To make an assessment on performance with a higher level of certainty, additional studies at larger scales are recommended.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Prediction of the Inter-Tube Flow Mode Transitions in the Evaporators of Multi-Effect Thermal Desalination Plants

Water is one of the most stressed resources on the planet. The limited availability of fresh water and the high cost of transportation have led to an increased interest in water desalination technologies. The two main categories of desalination techniques are membrane desalination and thermal desalination. Membrane technologies include pressure driven and electrical driven membranes. On the other hand, thermal desalination includes: multi-effect desalination (MED), multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination, and mechanical vapor compression desalination. Multi-effect desalination plants are usually made of a series of evaporators (also known as effects). In each effect, hot steam flows inside the tubes and evaporates the seawater that falls on the outside of the tubes. The vapor formed at each effect flows to the next effect and acts as the heating medium for the falling seawater. The prevailing flow mode of the falling seawater (i.e. droplet, jet, or sheet) influences heat and mass transfer as well as dry out in the evaporators of Multi-Effect Desalination (MED) plants. The objective of this paper is to predict and discuss the prevailing falling film flow modes in the evaporators of MED plants, under different operating conditions. The paper demonstrates the transitional Reynolds numbers between the main falling film modes for seawater. This closes a gap in the literature where there is a dearth of mode transition data for seawater. The effect of fluid properties and tube geometry on the transitions is discussed in details. As a result, the accuracy of the predicted transitional Reynolds numbers is evaluated via uncertainty quantification techniques.

availability↗
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↗
DOE OSTI2024

CFD Modeling of High-Flux Plate-and-Frame Membrane modules for industrial carbon capture

In this work, we explore the use of CO2-selective flat sheet membranes for capturing CO2 from point sources. We employ Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to design high-flux plate-and-frame membrane modules to achieve uniform flow distribution among membrane elements, minimize dead-end zones, and ease the common concentration polarization issue for gas separation membranes. The goal is to drive membrane technology improvements by providing better module designs for given membrane properties and operating conditions.

Dosso, Cheick↗
DOE OSTI2024

CFD Modeling of High-Flux Plate-and-Frame Membrane Modules for Industrial Carbon Capture

In this work, we explore the use of CO2-selective flat sheet membranes for capturing CO2 from point sources. We employ Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to design high-flux plate-and-frame membrane modules to achieve uniform flow distribution among membrane elements, minimize dead-end zones, and ease the common concentration polarization issue for gas separation membranes. The goal is to drive membrane technology improvements by providing better module designs for given membrane properties and operating conditions.

Dosso, Cheick↗
DOE OSTI2024

CFD modeling of high-flux plate-and-frame membrane modules for industrial carbon capture

In this work, we explore the use of CO2-selective flat sheet membranes for capturing CO2 from point sources. We employ Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to design high-flux plate-and-frame membrane modules to achieve uniform flow distribution among membrane elements, minimize dead-end zones, and ease the common concentration polarization issue for gas separation membranes. The goal is to drive membrane technology improvements by providing better module designs for given membrane properties and operating conditions.

Dosso, Cheick↗
DOE OSTI2024

Porous Organic Cage Membranes for Molecular Gas Separations (Final Technical Report for DE-SC0021357)

This proposal aims at demonstrating the development of a novel family of membranes, composed of porous organic cages (POC) which offer the possibility of displaying high separation performance for challenging molecular gas separations relevant to natural gas purification, and olefin/paraffin separation. The proposed POCs synthesized in membrane form will display the most desirable properties of polymers (facile processability and flexibility) and inorganic materials (hierarchically ordered pores with molecular sieving properties) leading to highly selective and permeable membranes. POCs should display distinctive structural, compositional, adsorption and transport properties than those of conventional porous materials, opening the doors for a new research direction in membrane science, and gas separations. Our preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of preparing POC crystals with controlled size, and continuous POC membranes with remarkable high permeances, and separation ability for CO 2 /CH 4 , N 2 /CH 4 and C 3 H 6 /C 3 H 8 separations serving as a solid foundation for our proposed work. Fundamentally, this proposal aims at elucidating separation mechanisms of different gas mixtures related to natural gas composition, and olefin/paraffin separation over porous organic cage membranes. The proposed research will result in fundamental understanding of adsorption and transport properties of industrially relevant gas molecules through novel microporous membranes, and may lead to the development of a cost effective membrane technology for natural gas purification, and olefin/paraffin separation surpassing the conventional benchmark technology distillation. Furthermore, we aim at demonstrating selective water transport through POC membranes, which can be positively impactful in numerous industrial applications in which water is present. The ability to fabricate thin, chemically and mechanically stable POC membranes for societal relevant gas separations constitute a new and distinctive direction in membrane science. Our proposed work aims at addressing some of the challenges recognized in the Research Agenda for Transforming Separation Science . Specifically: (a) advancing understanding of complex mixtures on separation performance; (b) exploring thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms through the elucidation of separation mechanisms, and (c) study potential stability issues of the membranes to be assessed by evaluating the long term membrane stability and performance at various temperatures and pressures. The team is uniquely qualified to execute the proposed work. The PI has solid expertise in the rational molecular engineering design of porous crystalline membranes for molecular gas separations. The PNNL collaborator has extensive experience in the synthesis, characterization, and functional applications of microporous crystals, with particular emphasis on gas adsorption.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Membrane Development for CO2 Capture from Steel Manufacturing

The U.S. government is targeting a net-zero carbon-emission economy by 2050, offering an exciting opportunity for membrane-based CO2 capture from various industrial point sources. Given that industrial flue gas has low CO2 partial pressures and high volumetric flow rates, high-permeance membranes are needed to make membrane technology economically viable for large-scale deployment. Thin film composite (TFC) membranes are necessary for this implementation because they can provide high permeance by forming a thin selective layer on top of a porous support. This presentation will report the rational design and fabrication of NETL’s highly permeable non-aging TFCs achieved by: synthesizing a high-performance rubbery selective material; developing a high-porosity membrane support; optimizing coating methods to assemble the two materials into scalable membranes; and scaling up membrane supports and TFCs via a roll-to-roll process. The novel rubbery selective material shows mixed-gas CO2 permeability of 930 Barrer and CO2/N2 selectivity of 44, exceeding the 2008 Robeson upper bound. The resulting TFCs yield remarkably high CO2 permeance of 4,500 GPU and CO2/N2 selectivity of 34 at 23ºC. Moreover, the TFCs exhibit not only excellent performance stability (or non-aging behavior) for 1,000 hours in the lab, but also maintain their separation properties in a 700-hour field test at the U.S. DOE’s National Carbon Capture Center using real humid flue gas.

Tran, Thien↗
DOE OSTI2024

Highly Permeable Rubbery Thin Film Composite Membranes for CO2 Capture from Steel Mills

For presentation at the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, October 27-31, 2024. High-permeance and CO2-selective membranes are needed to make membrane technology economically viable for large-scale deployment of carbon capture from various industrial point sources such as steel mills. Thin film composite (TFC) membranes are necessary for this practical implementation because they can provide high permeance by forming a thin selective layer on top of a porous support layer. This presentation reports the rational design and fabrication of National Energy Technology Laboratory’s highly permeable non-aging TFC membranes achieved by: (1) synthesizing a high-performance rubbery selective material; (2) developing a high-porosity membrane support; (3) optimizing coating methods to assemble the two materials into scalable membranes; and (4) scaling up membrane supports and TFCs via a roll-to-roll process. This talk will also cover the design, computational fluid dynamic simulation, 3D printing, construction, and permeation testing of plate-and-frame membrane modules for an upcoming field demonstration at U. S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, PA.

Zhu, Lingxiang↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ultrahigh pressure compaction-resistant thin film crosslinked composite reverse osmosis membranes

In this study, we present a class of thin-film crosslinked (TFX) composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that resist physical compaction at ultrahigh pressures (up to 200 bar). Since RO membranes experience compaction at virtually all pressure ranges, the ability to resist compaction has widespread implications for RO membrane technology. The process described herein involves crosslinking a phase inverted porous polyimide (PI) support membrane followed by interfacial polymerization of a polyamide layer, thereby forming a fully thermoset composite membrane structure. We explore a range of phase inversion membrane formation parameters such as PI concentration, solvent-cosolvent ratios, coagulation bath composition, and crosslinking methods in addition to interfacial polymerization reaction chemistry and conditions. Overall, TFX membranes exhibit significantly less compaction compared to hand-cast and commercial high-pressure RO membranes, experiencing less than 10% decline in water permeance and maintaining salt rejection over 99% for NaCl solutions up to 180,000 mg/L with 200 bar applied pressure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Engineering Design of a Polaris Membrane CO 2 Capture System at a Cement Plant

Sargent & Lundy (S&L) and Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) in cooperation with CEMEX, completed an initial engineering design study to evaluate the retrofit of MTR’s membrane-based post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture technology to the CEMEX Balcones cement plant (Balcones) Kiln 2. The CO 2 capture plant is designed to treat the entire flue gas flow from Kiln 2; it is estimated that this system will capture 2,039 tonnes/day per day (TPD) of CO 2 , approximately 75% of current CO 2 emissions from the kiln. The captured CO 2 is compressed to 2,213 psia (152.58 bara) before flowing to the capture plant boundary tie-point. It was assumed for this study that the CO 2 would be pumped off-site and transferred by pipeline to either a CO 2 storage complex for geological sequestration or elsewhere for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

The physical basis for solvent flow in organic solvent nanofiltration

Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) is an emerging membrane technology that could revolutionize chemical separations in numerous vital industries. Despite its significance, there remains a lack of fundamental understanding of solvent transport mechanisms in OSN membranes. Here, we use an extended Flory-Rehner theory, nonequilibrium molecular dynamic simulations, and organic solvent transport experiments to demonstrate that solvent flow in OSN membranes is driven by a pressure gradient. We show that solvent molecules migrate as clusters through interconnected pathways within the membrane pore structure, challenging the widely accepted diffusion-based view of solvent transport in OSN. We further reveal that solvent permeance is dependent on solvent affinity to the OSN membrane, which, in turn, controls the membrane pore structure. Our fundamental insights lay the scientific groundwork for the development of next-generation OSN membranes.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Adsorptive behavior of poly (vinylidene fluoride) membranes for the recovery of lignin-derived hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents

Abstract Recently, membrane technology has gained significant traction as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional thermal processes for solvent recovery. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as sustainable alternatives to conventional organic solvents, yet a systematic methodology for selecting compatible membrane materials for their recovery remains underdeveloped. This study established a predictive framework for membrane material selection in hydrophobic DES applications using Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP) with inverted criteria targeting materials with relative energy difference (RED) values greater than 1.0. Flat sheet membranes were fabricated via the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. Four NIPS fabricated polymer membranes were evaluated: polysulfone, cellulose acetate, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fabricated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a pore-forming agent, and polybenzimidazole (PBI). The HSP approach successfully predicted membrane-solvent compatibility, with polysulfone (RED = 0.6) and cellulose acetate (RED = 0.9) dissolving completely within 24 h, while PVDF (RED = 1.9) and PBI (RED = 1.1) maintained structural integrity throughout a 7-day exposure period. Furthermore, PVDF demonstrated superior performance with minimal weight gain (3.0%), hydrophobic surface characteristics (122° water contact angle), and enhanced mechanical properties following DES exposure. Comprehensive chemical and morphological characterization confirmed PVDF’s chemical stability and revealed a surface-selective interaction mechanism involving simultaneous PEG (pore-forming agent) extraction and DES component adsorption. Adsorption kinetics followed pseudo-first-order behavior with reversible characteristics, best described by the Temkin isotherm model (R² = 0.9987). PVDF membranes-maintained separation functionality with average lignin rejection (75.2 ± 7.69%) and demonstrated filtration permeability of 2.0 ± 0.34 LMH/bar. This methodology provides a rational approach for membrane selection in emerging solvent systems, contributing to the advancement of sustainable separation technologies for DES-based biomass processing applications.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2026

A dual membrane-adsorption evaporator for solar-powered lithium extraction from complex brines

A reliable supply of lithium is required to meet the increased demand for batteries over the coming decades. In this work, we demonstrated the potential to effectively extract lithium from brines by coupling solar-powered evaporation, adsorption, and membrane technologies together. We first synthesized a three-dimensional adsorptive evaporator by coating a lithium manganese oxide material onto a cotton stick using an easily scalable, one-step method. An osmotic membrane was then installed at the root of the evaporator to enhance the lithium to magnesium selectivity, prevent scaling caused by divalent cations, and thus further increase the water evaporation flux. The operation of the dual membrane-adsorption evaporator is entirely driven by osmosis and capillary force, demanding no extra energy input. The integration of the osmotic membrane was found to increase the lithium to magnesium selectivity over 10-fold to higher than 40. The dual process also produced high lithium to calcium selectivity and proved to sustain long-term stability by self-managing its internal osmotic pressure. Last, a test was done in three simulated brine solutions with varied brine chemistry and the evaporation rate stayed high and consistent throughout the long-term test. This illustrates that this technology can be used in varied brine solutions throughout the world providing efficient lithium capture and separation from competing divalent cations.

Eskafi, Aydin F. [University of California, Berkel↗
DOE OSTI2025

From Molecules to Modules: Advanced Characterization of Membrane Systems

Membrane technologies can enhance the efficiency and selectivity of chemical separations in energy-water systems. Advanced characterization tools are critical for discerning separation mechanisms, revealing degradation processes, and designing novel materials and material systems for new and emerging challenges. The pursuit of next-generation membranes for water and energy applications requires understanding phenomena at the molecular scale, mesoscale, and macroscale. This perspective highlights advanced characterization techniques for elucidating and enhancing membrane performance, while addressing fundamental trade-offs involved in characterizing membranes under realistic conditions.

Zhu, Yaguang [Princeton University, NJ (United Sta↗