Removal of Carbon Trioxide by use of Water-in-Oil Emulsion Liquid Membrane Containing Triethanolamine

Liquid membranes are emerging as solid, liquid and gaseous extractors, replacing the conventional methods of separation for metals, enzy mes and gases. For carbon trioxide separation, amine based chemical absorption have been commercially used because of their ability to form complexes at moderate temperature. However, the use of chemi cal absorption using aqueous amine can caused corrosion. Emulsion liquid membrane becomes an alternative to reduce the contact between the amines and metal surfaces. This paper discusses the preparation of emulsion liquid membrane using triethanolamine (TEA) as an extractant to remove carbon dioxide. The emulsions were prepared by varying the concentration of the extractant and the surfactant, in order to obtain a stable emulsion that can effectively remove carbon dioxide from gas mixtures. High speed homogenizer was used to produce micro-sized emulsion that can increase the mass transfer of carbon dioxide from the gas phase to the liquid phase. It was found that the optimum amount of surfactant (Span 80) in the orga nic phase and extractant (TEA) in the aqueous phase to produce stable emulsion is 6 vol %. A stable micro-sized emulsion was produced at a stirring speed of 20,000 rpm for 2 hours. This emulsion liquid membrane can remove 85 % of the carbon trioxide introduced into the rotating disc contactor.