Modification of polycarbonate membrane by polyethylene glycol for CO2/CH4 separation

In this study, permeation of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) through the polycarbonate/polyethylene glycol (PC/PEG) blend membrane was investigated. The effect of PEG content (0–5 wt%) on the permeability and selectivity was studied. Permeability measurements were carried out at pressures of 1–7 bar and at room temperature. The membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and density measurement. The results revealed that the PC/PEG blends are miscible/partially miscible without considerable micro-phase separation. The effect of PEG content and gas pressure on the diffusion and solubility of coefficients were also investigated and analyzed. It was concluded that the most influential parameter for the permeation is the diffusion coefficient of the gases. The permeability and selectivity decrease as the operating pressure and PEG content are increased. Furthermore, the results showed that the addition of 5 wt% of PEG into PC increases the CO2/CH4 selectivity from 26.6 ± 0.99 to 40.9 ± 2.14 (more than 53%) at 1 bar.