Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras
An Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Sorbent Nanofiber Membrane and a Device
Technology Category/Market
Category – Â Air Purification & Filteration, Chemistry & Chemical Analysis.
Applications – Nanofibers, Air Purification & Filteration, CO2 Capture and Sequestration, Indoor Air Quality Improvement, Climate Control Systems
Industry – Environmental Technology, Clean Energy, Indoor Air Quality,
Market – The nanofiber market is projected to reach USD 4.16 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 12.0% from USD 1.68 million in 2022.
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Problem Statement
- Rapid increase in CO2 concentration in enclosed environments causing health risks and discomfort.
- Existing CO2 scavenging materials (e.g., amino silica monolith, MOF-177), require regeneration under extreme conditions, making them impractical for commercial feasibility.
- Therefore, there is a need for a new sorbent material that can efficiently adsorb CO2 at room temperature and desorb it at near ambient conditions providing a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution for maintaining CO2 concentration within acceptable limits in closed spaces.
- The objective of this invention is to develop a composite fiber material with excellent CO2 adsorption and desorption properties, enabling the creation of a compact and sustainable device (refer Fig.1) for CO2 removal, ensuring healthy and comfortable living environments.
Technology
- Invention: Material for air purification, adsorbs CO2 at room temperature and desorbs at near ambient temperature
- Fabrication: Nanofiber membrane by electrospinning AEAPTMS/PAN composite with large surface area. (refer Fig. 2)
- CO2 Adsorption Capacity: ≥ 0.77 mmol/g at 24°C, fully regenerates at 45°C.
- Adsorption Cycle: 120 minutes.
- Desorption Cycle: 30 minutes.
- Mechanism: FTIR analysis confirms the formation confirms ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium carbamate for CO2 adsorption at room temperature, desorbs by decomposing compounds at 55°C, preferably 50°C or lower
- Air Purification Integration: Used in device with air purifier, air conditioner, and heater, 40 minutes adsorption and 20 minutes desorption (or 20 minutes adsorption and 10 minutes desorption) and Fig. 4 shows the rate of desorption at different ambient temperature.
Key Features/Value Proposition
- The composite material N-[3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl]ethylenediamine (AEAPTMS) functionalized polyacrylonitrile (PAN/AEAPTMS) shows a CO2 adsorption capacity of 0.77 mmol/g at an ambient condition of 70% relative humidity, 24°C temperature, and 3400 ppm CO2 concentration.
- The nanofiber material exhibits 100% cycling capacity over three adsorption-desorption cycles. It shows an average of 0.347 mmol/g CO2 adsorption capacity for the initial 30 minutes of the adsorption cycle and 100% desorption capacity when heated to 50°C. (refer Fig. 3, 5)
- Optimal Nanofiber Diameter – The membrane’s nanofiber diameter falls within the range of 1μm to 0.1μm, which is ideal for efficient CO2 adsorption.
- Complete regeneration of adsorbent material at 50°C.
- Fabrication Flexibility: The nanofiber membrane can be fabricated using different techniques like melt spinning, melt electrospinning, or electrospinning.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research Lab
Prof. Pradeep .T
Department of Chemistry
Intellectual Property
- IITM IDF Ref. 1641
- IN 4343314 – Patent Granted
- PCT/IN2019/050555 – Published
Technology Readiness Level
TRL – 4
Technology validated in lab.