CONTINUOUS ELECTROMIGRATION PROCESS FOR REMOVAL OF GASEOUS CONTAMINANTS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND APPARATUS

• US 3,712,025 A
• Filed: 03/30/1970
• Issued: 01/23/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard A. Wallace
• Original Assignee: Richard A. Wallace
• Inventors: Wallace, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Talbert, Jr., Dennis E.
• Application Number:
  US05/023,733
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 204/87,180,18B,301,103,86,129,299R,98,296 210/24,37 131/10,262A 55/68,73,74,75,2,159,179,220,233,387,388,389,512,234,101 23/1R,1GP,2R,2S,4,64,36
• US Class Current: 95/68
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/326 in electrochemical cells
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 47/12 characterised by the use of ion-exchange material in the form of ribbons, filaments, fibres or sheets, e.g. membranes electrodialysis or electro-osmosis B01D61/42
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

A continuous process for removal of gaseous contaminants, particularly carbon dioxide, from an atmosphere containing the same, which comprises subjecting the gaseous contaminant laden atmosphere to contact with a strongly basic ionic polymer sheet under the influence of an applied electrical field. The apparatus for accomplishing this comprises at least one and preferably a plurality of sheets of strongly basic ionic polymeric material partially suspended at the lower end thereof into a circulating stream of sea water, the polymeric sheets being interspersed between a source of an appliable electric field, e.g. a cathode and an anode, and a cation-exchange membrane and an anionexchange membrane being in turn interspersed between the cathode and the upper exposed ends of the polymeric sheets.

Claims

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said strongly basic ionic polymeric material is in elongated shEet form.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein at least one sheet of said polymeric material is employed.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the gaseous contaminant comprises predominantly carbon dioxide.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the gaseous contaminant contains minor amounts of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein said polymeric material is characterized by having a carbon dioxide absorption capacity, as equilibrated in an atmosphere of 1.5 percent carbon dioxide in air, at 70 percent Relative Humidity at a temperature of 25*C., within the range of between about 10 and about 85 milligrams of CO2 sorbed per gram of polymeric material;

an anion-current transference number between about 0.83 and about 1 in the direction of electromigration;

an electrical resistance, as measured in 0.01 N sodium chloride solution at a temperature of 25*C., of less than about 10 ohm-cm2; and

a water-content range between about 30 and about 80 percent by weight.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises quaternary ammonium hydroxide groups on polyethylenestyrene graft copolymer with 35 percent styrene and 2 percent divinylbenzene.

8. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises quaternary ammonium hydroxide crosslinked copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene.

9. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises Dynel-reinforced quaternary ammonium hydroxide on a vinyl-divinylbenzene copolymer.

10. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises a fabric-reinforced Permutit Permaplex A-20 film heterogeneous quaternary ammonium hydroxide strong base polymer.

11. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises a polyvinylbenzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide polyelectrolyte complex film.

12. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises 80 percent quaternary ammonium hydroxide finely divided anion-exchange resins incorporated into a 20 percent hydrophilic cellulosic binder.

13. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises 85 percent thorium hydrous (hydroxyl) oxide incorporated in a 15 percent polyvinylidene fluoride matrix binder.

14. A method according to claim 6 wherein said polymeric material comprises 80 percent mixed thorium hydrous (hydroxyl) oxide incorporated in a 20 percent polyvinylidene fluoride matrix binder.

15. An apparatus for continuously removing gaseous contaminants from an atmosphere containing the same which comprises at least one elongated sheet of strongly hydroxyl dry or partially hydrated ionic polymeric material partially suspended at its lower end thereof into a circulating stream of sea water or brackish water, said polymeric sheet being interspersed between a source of an electrical field appliable to said apparatus consisting of a cathode and an anode, a cation-exchange membrane and an anion-exchange membrane, forming an ion-exchange membrane junction, being in turn interspersed between said cathode and the upper exposed ends of said polymeric sheet, a source of water being circulable between said cathode and the ion-exchange membrane junction.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15 wherein a plurality of said polymeric sheets are provided.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15 used for removing carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide laden atmosphere.

18. A dry electromigratory process for removal of acidic gaseous contaminants from an atmosphere containing the same which comprises subjecting the gaseous contaminant laden atmosphere to contact with a strongly basic ionic hydrated polymeric material under the influence of an applied electrical field.

19. A continuous dry electromigratory process for removal of carbon dioxide from an atmosphere containing the same which comprises continuously subjecting the carbon dioxide laden atmosphere to contact with a strongly basic (hydroxyl) ionic hydrated polymeric material capable of forming hydroxyl ions in aqueous solution, under the influence of an applied electrical field thereby converting said carbon dioxide to the bicarbonate ion form, whence the hydroxyl ions formed by said polymeric material become depleted, and continuously electrolytically regenerating the hydroxyl ions on said polymeric material and continuously recovering the bicarbonate ion.