Carbon membrane for fluid separation, fluid separation membrane module, and method for producing carbon membrane for fluid separation

• US 10,159,943 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Kosaku, Tanaka, Kentaro, Mihara, Takaaki, Horiguchi, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shumate, Anthony R
• Application Number:
  US15/328,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20170216779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2053/224 with hollow fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/18 Pore-control agents or pore formers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/21839 Polymeric additives
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/2187 Polyvinylpyrolidone
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/02 Details relating to pores or porosity of the membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/022 Asymmetric membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/0231 Dense layers being placed on the outer side of the cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/0232 Dense layer on both outer sides of the membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/0233 with clearly distinguishable layers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/026 Sponge structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/22 by diffusion manufacturing semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00; form, structure or properties of semi-permeable membranes B01D69/00; material for semi-permeable membranes B01D71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/228 characterised by specific membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/02 Hollow fibre modules
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/04 comprising multiple hollow fibre assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0009 by phase separation, sol-gel transition, evaporation or solvent quenching
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/00111 Polymer pretreatment in the casting solutions
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0013 Casting processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0016 Coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/003 by selective elimination of components, e.g. by leaching
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0067 by carbonisation or pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0083 : Thermal after-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/08 : Hollow fibre membranes manufacture of hollow fibres D01D5/24, D01F1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/082 : characterised by the cross-sectional shape of the fibre
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/02 : Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/021 : Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/421 : Polyacrylonitrile
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/441 : Polyvinylpyrrolidone
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/106 : Carbon fibres, e.g. graphite fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/726 : Permeability to liquids, absorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/26 : characterised by a particular shape of the outline of the cross-section of a continuous layer; characterised by a layer with cavities or internal voids foam layer B32B5/18; layer of synthetic resin characterised by fillers that create voids or cavities B32B27/205; characterised by an apertured layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/022 : Non-woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/24 : one layer being a fibrous or filamentary layer
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/05 : Preparation or purification of carbon not covered by groups C01B32/15, C01B32/20, C01B32/25, C01B32/30
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/24 : with a hollow structure; Spinnerette packs therefor D01D5/38 takes precedence; producing tubes of plastic material B29D; addition of agents forming hollow filaments D01F1/08
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/21 : from macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/22 : from polyacrylonitriles
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2505/04 : Filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/151 : Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, e.g. CO2

Abstract

The present invention provides a carbon membrane for fluid separation with which a high-pressure fluid can be separated and purified and which has excellent pressure resistance and is less apt to be damaged. The present invention relates to a carbon membrane for fluid separation, including: a core layer which has a co-continuous porous structure; and a skin layer which has substantially no co-continuous porous structure and is formed around the core layer.

Claims

1. A carbon membrane for fluid separation, comprising:

a core layer which has a co-continuous porous structure; and

a skin layer which has substantially no co-continuous porous structure and is formed around the core layer, wherein the co-continuous porous structure of the core layer has a structural period of 0.002 to 10 μ

m.

2. The carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 1, wherein a central part of the core layer has an average porosity of 10 to 80%.

3. The carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 1, which is a core/sheath fiber comprising a core part as the core layer and a sheath part as the skin layer.

4. The carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 3, which is a fiber having a round cross-section.

10. A fluid separation membrane module produced by fabricating a plurality of membranes into a module, each of the membranes being either the carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 3.

11. A fluid separation membrane module produced by fabricating a plurality of membranes into a module, each of the membranes being the carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 4.

5. A hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation comprising:

a core layer which has a co-continuous porous structure;

a skin layer which has substantially no co-continuous porous structure and is formed around the core layer; and

a hollow part formed inside the core layer, wherein the co-continuous porous structure of the core layer has a structural period of 0.002 to 10 μ

m.

6. The hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 5, wherein an area ratio A/B of a cross-sectional area A of the hollow part to a cross-sectional area B of the hollow-fiber carbon membrane is 0.001 to 0.7.

7. The hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 5, wherein the core layer has a structural period of 0.05 to 3 μ

m.

8. The hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 5, wherein pores in the co-continuous porous structure of the core layer have an average diameter of 30 to 1,500 nm.

9. The hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 5, wherein the skin layer has a thickness of 5 μ

m or less.

12. A fluid separation membrane module produced by fabricating a plurality of membranes into a module, each of the membranes being the hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 5.

13. A fluid separation membrane module produced by fabricating a plurality of membranes into a module, each of the membranes being the hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 6.

14. A fluid separation membrane module produced by fabricating a plurality of membranes into a module, each of the membranes being the hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 7.

15. A fluid separation membrane module produced by fabricating a plurality of membranes into a module, each of the membranes being the hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 8.

16. A fluid separation membrane module produced by fabricating a plurality of membranes into a module, each of the membranes being the hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation according to claim 9.

17. A process for producing a carbon membrane for fluid separation, the process comprising:

step 1;

a step in which 10 to 90% by weight of a carbonizable resin and 90 to 10% by weight of an eliminable resin are brought into a compatibly mixed state to obtain a resin mixture;

step 2;

a step in which the resin mixture obtained in the step 1 is caused to undergo phase separation to form a co-continuous phase separation structure and the separated phases are fixed to obtain a precursor for the carbon membrane for fluid separation; and

step 3;

a step in which the precursor for the carbon membrane for fluid separation obtained in the step 2 is carbonized by pyrolysis.

18. A process for producing a hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation, the process comprising:

step 1;

a step in which 10 to 90% by weight of a carbonizable resin and 90 to 10% by weight of an eliminable resin are brought into a compatibly mixed state to obtain a resin mixture;

step 2;

a step in which the resin mixture that has been brought into the compatibly mixed state in the step 1 is spun into a hollow fiber and caused to undergo phase separation to form a co continuous phase separation structure to obtain a precursor for the hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation; and

step 3;

a step in which the precursor for the hollow-fiber carbon membrane for fluid separation obtained in the step 2 is carbonized by pyrolysis.