Methods and systems for removing water vapor from a feed gas prior to further processing the feed gas according to a downstream PSA process are described. The feed gas can include CO.sub.2 and/or CO and/or H.sub.2 and the PSA process can be used to separate components of the feed gas from one another, for instance, for CO.sub.2 capture. Light product off of the PSA process is utilized to regenerate desiccant of a dryer used in the water vapor removal process that is carried out prior to the feed gas entering the PSA process. The water vapor removal process can be heated by providing thermal energy directly to the dryer and/or to a regenerating stream that regenerates the desiccant of the dryer. The thermal energy can be low cost energy—for instance, waste heat off of a system that provides the feed gas.

A polymer blend membrane includes a polyether-based copolymer and a polyether polymerized in situ and has high permeability and high selectivity for carbon dioxide. In the polymer blend membrane, the free volume of the polyether-based copolymer is greatly increased, and the adsorption capacity for carbon dioxide is enhanced. Thus, it can have excellent mechanical properties and excellent permeability and selectivity for carbon dioxide.

The invention relates to a method for separating a gas mixture flow, in which use is made of a temperature-change adsorption plant (100) which has a number of adsorption units (A1, A2, A3) which are respectively operated in a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein the first operating mode comprises guiding the gas mixture flow (G) at least in part through an adsorption chamber of the respective adsorption unit (A1, A2, A3) and subjecting this flow to an adsorptive exchange of material with at least one adsorbent in its adsorption chamber, and the second operating mode comprises guiding a first heat transfer fluid flow (W1) at a first temperature through a heat-exchange arrangement of the respective adsorption unit (A1, A2, A3) and transferring heat from the first heat transfer fluid flow (W1) indirectly to the at least one adsorbent in its adsorption chamber. It is provided that the first operating mode comprises guiding a second heat transfer fluid flow (W2) at a second temperature through the heat-exchange arrangement of the respective adsorption unit (A1, A2, A3) and transferring heat from the at least one adsorbent in its adsorption chamber indirectly to the second heat transfer fluid flow (W2), and the adsorption units (A1, A2, A3) are respectively operated in a third operating mode which comprises guiding a third heat transfer fluid flow (W3) at a third temperature through the heat-exchange arrangement of the respective adsorption unit (A1, A2, A3) and transferring heat from the at least one adsorbent in its adsorption chamber to the third heat transfer fluid flow (W3). The invention also relates to a corresponding temperature-change adsorption plant (100).

A method for the generation of syngas for use in hydroformylation plants comprises the steps of evaporating water to steam, mixing the steam with carbon dioxide in any desired molar ratio and feeding the resulting gas to a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) or an SOEC stack at around 700 C. while supplying an electrical current to the cell or cell stack to convert the feed gas to syngas. An advantage is that the syngas can be generated on the site where it is intended to be used.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a gas separation method by which a removal performance to remove a removal object gas component and a recovery rate to recover a recovery object gas component can be satisfied at the same time, and furthermore, a generation efficiency of a product gas can be improved. A raw material gas g0 is fed to one adsorption vessel 11 of an adsorbing device 10 and a permeated gas g1 is sent out. A pressure of the other the adsorption vessels 12 is made lower than a pressure during adsorption and a desorbed gas g2 is sent out. In accordance with an operating cycle of the adsorbing device 10 or according to a condition of the raw material gas g0 or the like, one of the permeated gas g1 and the desorbed gas g2 that has a lower concentration of a priority removal object gas component than the raw material gas g0 is provided as a return gas to the adsorbing device 10, the priority removal object gas component being a gas component to be preferentially removed.

A carbon dioxide conversion system for an environment includes a first gas-liquid contactor-separator downstream of the environment; an electrochemical conversion cell downstream of the first gas-liquid contactor-separator; and a cleaned ionic liquid storage intermediate the first gas-liquid contactor-separator and the electrochemical conversion cell.

The invention present provides a method (and suitable apparatus) to convert biomass to ethanol, comprising gasifying the biomass to produce raw syngas; feeding the raw syngas to an acid-gas removal unit to remove at least some CO.sub.2 and produce a conditioned syngas stream; feeding the conditioned syngas stream to a fermentor to biologically convert the syngas to ethanol; capturing a tail gas from an exit of the fermentor, wherein the tail gas comprises at least CO.sub.2 and unconverted CO or H.sub.2; and recycling a first portion of the tail gas to the fermentor and/or a second portion of the tail gas to the acid-gas removal unit. This invention allows for increased syngas conversion to ethanol, improved process efficiency, and better overall biorefinery economics for conversion of biomass to ethanol.

A device for the electrochemical production of a product containing CO, and a method for the electrochemical production of a product containing CO, in which a return of a material stream containing the educt and CO is carried out after the electrochemical production.

Membranes, methods of making the membranes, and methods of using the membranes are described herein. The membranes can comprise a support layer, and a selective polymer layer disposed on the support layer. In some cases, the support layer can comprise a gas permeable polymer and hydrophilic additive dispersed within the gas permeable polymer. In some cases, the selective polymer layer can comprise a selective polymer matrix and carbon nanotubes dispersed within the selective polymer matrix. The membranes can exhibit selective permeability to gases. As such, the membranes can be for the selective removal of carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide from hydrogen and/or nitrogen.

A gas purification device removes a part of ammonia contained in a first gas; recovers a first off-gas containing the removed ammonia, removes hydrogen sulfide and ammonia from a second gas produced by removing the part of ammonia, recovers a second off-gas containing the removed hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, and combusts the first off-gas and the second off-gas. The gas purification device includes: a first combustion chamber in which combustion is performed in a reducing atmosphere; a second combustion chamber in which combustion is performed in a reducing atmosphere downstream of the first combustion chamber; and a third combustion chamber in which combustion is performed in an oxidizing atmosphere downstream of the second combustion chamber. The first off-gas flows into the first combustion chamber and the second off-gas flows into the third combustion chamber.