Comparing Different Methods of Fabricating Polysulfone Membranes for CO2/CH4 Separation

Abstract

The present study investigated the fabrication of polysulfone (PSU) gas separation membranes using various solvents and methods. Membranes were prepared via the dry-wet method and dry casting. Following the dry casting method, two different solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethylformamide (DMF), were utilized. DMF resulted in membranes with higher permeability. The membrane fabricated by PSU (20 wt%) and DMF (80 wt%) through dry casting provided optimal results in terms of permeability and selectivity. The carbon dioxide permeability of this membrane was 3.63 barrer with the carbon dioxide/methane selectivity of 18.25. The mentioned membrane also accounts for the best selectivity among the membranes prepared by dry-wet and dry casting methods.