SRI International will partner with PBI Performance Products, Inc., Enerfex, Inc., and the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research (UK CAER), to advance the development of a polybenzimidazole (PBI) polymer hollow-fiber membrane (HFM)-based pre-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology. The process utilizes compact, hollow, asymmetric PBI fibers to separate CO₂ from a syngas stream at high temperature (~225°C) and pressure (>20 atm) for increased net power plant efficiency and reduced cost of electricity. In a previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project, the PBI-HFM gas separation technology was successfully tested at bench scale at the National Carbon Capture Center under air-blown gasifier conditions, revealing greater than 90 percent CO₂ capture at temperatures greater than 180°C, as well as higher H₂/CO₂ selectivity and H₂ permeance compared to commercially available low-temperature polymeric membranes. Further work led to the development of next-generation (GEN-2) fibers with far superior H₂/CO₂ selectivity, which will be fabricated and further evaluated in this project. SRI’s existing bench-scale test skid will be upgraded to accommodate large fiber modules (four and six inches) for field testing. The GEN-2 modules will be tested with actual coal-derived syngas under oxygen-blown gasifier conditions at UK CAER. A series of parametric and steady-state tests will be performed over a full range of operating conditions to assess optimal system operating parameters. The team will use the test results to prepare a techno-economic analysis and component and system modeling of the PBI-HFM capture system integrated into a 550-MWe power plant to advance the technology toward further scale up and commercialization.

Predecessor Project: FE0012965