The nanofluids that were used in hollow fiber membranes as solution can be considered appropriate substitute for normal solutions in the removal of acidic gases, specially in gas- sweetening industries.
Gas removal process using hollow fiber membrane is a combination of separation by membrane and chemical absorption process, which is very important nowadays. On the other hand, the use of nanofluids that adsorb carbon dioxide with unique characteristics such as high mechanical and thermal stability, high ability in gas adsorption and storage, easy reduction, and other transfer properties can be a good replacement for the solutions or as additive to the usual solutions to increase the efficiency of carbon dioxide removal.
Ali Golkhar, one of the researchers, believes that the combination of the separation by membrane and the application of nanofluids as the solution in carbon dioxide adsorption was the main objective of the research.
“In this research, mass transfer properties of nanofluids and their adsorption properties in the two-phase contactor hollow fiber membranes were investigated. The effects of various parameters such as the type and the concentration of nanofluids, temperature, and liquid and gas flow rates were studied too. The results showed significant increase in the adsorption of carbon dioxide gas by using nanofluids,” he added.
According to Golkhar, the efficiency of carbon dioxide removal for silica nanofluid, specially carbon nanotube, significantly increased in comparison with distilled water. The increase became larger when the concentration of nanoparticles increased. Moreover, the use of carbon nanotubes was more effective than the use of silica nanofluid.
Results of the research have been published in details in January 2011 in Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 433, pp. 17-24.