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Applications and Separation Properties of Sub-nano Ceramic Membranes

Under Development

Types and applications of sub-nano ceramic membrane

Below are the types of NGK sub-nano ceramic membranes currently available, and some examples of their applications. Examples of systems incorporating these membranes are introduced in 1）– 3）. These are under development.

	Example applications	Example substances for separation
Gas separation	CO₂ recovery from associated gas of CO₂-EOR CO₂ separation from natural gas ^1） Biogas purification ^3）	CO₂ / CH₄
	He recovery from natural gas	He / CH₄
	H₂ separation for chemical process H₂ recovery from reaction gas	H₂ / Methylcyclohexane H₂ / Ethane H₂ / CH₄ H₂ / N₂
	N₂ separation from natural gas ^2） CH₄ recovery from LNG boiled off gas	N₂ / CH₄
	CO₂ recovery from industrial exhaust gas	CO₂ / N₂
Dehydration	Dehydration from organic liquid Dehydration in the ester synthesis process Recycling of used organic liquid Dehydration in membrane reactor	H₂O/Alcohol H₂O/Ketone H₂O/Ether H₂O/Ester H₂O/Aromatic

1) CO₂ separation from natural gas

High-purity CH₄ (methane) and CO₂ can be obtained while suppressing methane loss by separating and removing the CO₂ contained as an impurity in natural gas, through use of a sub-nano ceramic membrane in a one-stage membrane system.

2) N₂ separation from natural gas

N₂ contained as an impurity in natural gas can be separated and removed using a sub-nano ceramic membrane. A two-stage membrane system makes it possible to obtain high-purity methane while suppressing methane loss.

3) Biogas Purification

The biogas produced from biomass contains CH₄ (methane) and CO₂. Sub-nano ceramic membrane can also be used to separate and remove CO₂ from biogas. A two-stage membrane system makes it possible to obtain high-purity methane and CO₂.

Separation properties of sub-nano ceramic membranes

Separation properties for a gas mixture using sub-nano ceramic membranes

Composition of gas mixture [mol%]	Test conditions		Performance
Composition of gas mixture [mol%]	Pressure of feed gas [MPaG]	Temperature of feed gas [℃]	Composition of permeate gas [mol%]	Separation coefficient^* [-]
CO₂ : CH₄ = 50 : 50	0.3	25	CO₂ > 99	>160
H₂ : CH₄ = 60 : 40	0.4	25	H₂ > 99	>100
N₂ : CH₄ = 50 : 50	0.4	25	N₂ > 96	>30

Dehydration performance from hydrous organic liquid using sub-nano ceramic membranes

Separation method	Organic liquid		Test conditions			Dehydration performance
Separation method	Organic liquid		Organic liquid concentration of feed liquid [wt%]	Temperature of feed liquid [℃]	Vacuum pressure at permeate side [torr]	Water permeation rate [kg/m²h]	Organic liquid concentration of permeate liquid [wt%]
Pervaporation (PV)	Alcohol	Isopropanol	90	70	50	3	<1
	Alcohol	n-Butanol	90	70	50	4.5	<1
	Ketone	Acetone	90	45	10	1	<2
	Ether	Tetrahydrofuran	90	50	10	4	<1
	Ester	Ethyl acetate	97	70	50	6	<1
	Organic acid	Acetic acid	30	90	200	9.5	<1
Vapor permeation (VP)	Alcohol	Ethanol	90	105	10	6	<1