BIOCOMEM

The supply of many precursors and ingredients relies on chemical separation techniques to isolate the various components. Currently, many of these separation techniques rely on heat-based approaches, such as distillation. This currently amounts to around 10–15 percent of the world's energy consumption, with the concomitant implications this has for GHG emissions. Membrane-based separation techniques offer an alternative with the potential for far lower energy consumption. Wider adoption of these techniques would reduce GHG as a result. So far, we are missing biobased solutions for robust membranes. By using membranes manufactured from bio-based materials, it would increase overall sustainability and further reduce the environmental impact. However, such products need to be able to withstand long-term operation at temperature and pressure variations and prolonged contact with degradative substances. Such membranes require a complex structure that rely on highly specific methods of production. One aspect of this is the use of a hollow fibre. If these can be made by a spinning technique, it is more energy efficient and less likely to have defects. Current materials for membranes – polyether-block-amide copolymers (PEBAs) – are not ideal for this approach. Therefore, the BIOCOMEM project will develop and validate gas separation membranes at TRL 5. These will use bio-based PEBAs that offer higher potential for processing as hollow fibres. The membranes will be specifically designed to improve gas separation performance, offer higher resistance to chemical attack, all while using an increased amount of bio-based material.