CO2 adsorption using TiO2 composite polymeric membranes: A kinetic study

CO₂ is the main greenhouse gas which causes global climatic changes on larger scale. Many techniques have been utilised to capture CO₂. Membrane gas separation is a fast growing CO₂ capture technique, particularly gas separation by composite membranes. The separation of CO₂ by a membrane is not just a process to physically sieve out of CO₂ through the controlled membrane pore size. It mainly depends upon diffusion and solubility of gases, particularly for composite dense membranes. The blended components in composite membranes have a high capability to adsorb CO₂. The adsorption kinetics of the gases may directly affect diffusion and solubility. In this study, we have investigated the adsorption behaviour of CO₂ in pure and composite membranes to explore the complete understanding of diffusion and solubility of CO₂ through membranes. Pure cellulose acetate (CA) and cellulose acetate-titania nanoparticle (CA-TiO₂) composite membranes were fabricated and characterised using SEM and FTIR analysis. The results indicated that the blended CA-TiO₂ membrane adsorbed more quantity of CO₂ gas as compared to pure CA membrane. The high CO₂ adsorption capacity may enhance the diffusion and solubility of CO₂ in the CA-TiO₂ composite membrane, which results in a better CO₂ separation. The experimental data was modelled by Pseudo first-order, pseudo second order and intra particle diffusion models. According to correlation factor R², the Pseudo second order model was fitted well with experimental data. The intra particle diffusion model revealed that adsorption in dense membranes was not solely consisting of intra particle diffusion.