Superhydrophobic Membrane Contactor for Acid Gas Removal

Gas-liquid membrane contactor has gained a great attention as an alternative to conventional absorption columns in acid gas removal from natural gas or post-combustion. The membrane contactor offers high mass transfer area and excellent operational flexibility. However, hydrophobic microporous membranes commonly used are still susceptible to wetting by liquid absorbents, leading to the deterioration of absorption performance in long-term operation. Therefore, many studies were recently directed to improve the membrane wetting resistant by endowing superhydrophobicity. This article then presents a review on superhydrophobic membrane development and its application for acid gas removal using membrane contactor. An overview of gas-liquid membrane contactor is firstly presented, followed by the preparation of superhydrophobic membranes. The performances of superhydrophobic membranes in acid gas absorption are then discussed, and the recommendation for future research is finally outlined. This review may provide an insight into the further development of superhydrophobic membrane contactor.