Process and engineering trends in membrane based carbon capture

Global warming due to greenhouse gases mostly carbon dioxide has become a serious concern worldwide. Carbon capture using adsorption, absorption, chemical looping combustion, cryogenic and membrane separations has been widely studied to tackle this problem. Significant research efforts have been made in membrane based carbon capture employable in both pre- and post-combustion options as it is a simple, efficient economical and environmentally benign option. In this paper, a comprehensive review has been done on this technology with reference to various aspects viz., synthesis, characterization and performance analysis of various membrane materials, contactors and their design aspects, modeling and simulation studies and membrane wetting phenomenon. The prospects and future challenges of the membrane based carbon capture are also highlighted.