The present invention relates to an extraction unit for extracting hydrogen from a gas mixture, including a tube or vessel, including a transit channel for passing a gas mixture in a feed-through direction from a receiving opening to a dispensing opening, which tube or vessel is arranged to be received in-line in a gas transport pipe, at least one membrane-electrode assembly arranged in the tube or vessel with at least one anode, a membrane and a cathode. The assembly is arranged such that an anode surface faces the transit channel and that a cathode surface faces away from the transit channel to a drain separated from the feed-through channel. The anode and the cathode are provided with a connector for an electrical voltage source.

A method of removing carbon dioxide from a gas can include providing a gaseous feed stream including a carbon dioxide gas and adsorbing the carbon dioxide gas with a porous carbon sorbent. The method can further include de-adsorbing the carbon dioxide and combining the carbon dioxide with a substantially pure hydrogen gas to produce at least one of methane and methanol. The adsorbing and de-adsorbing of the carbon dioxide gas can be conducted by an electric swing adsorption.

Polymer blends comprising an ortho-functionalized polyimide homo or copolymer and a polybenzimidazole homo or copolymer, wherein the ortho-functionalized polyimide thermally rearranges to a polymer comprising a phenylene heterocyclic group, such as, polybenzoxazole, polybenzothiazole, polybenzimidazole and/or other heterocyclic structure upon heating. Also disclosed are method of forming a polymer blend comprising dissolving an ortho-functionalized polyimide homo or copolymer and a polybenzimidazole homo or copolymer in a solvent, and optional compatibilizer, to form a polymer solution; contacting a support with the polymer solution; and evaporating the solvent to provide a thin layer comprising the polymer blend on the support. Further, methods of heat treating these polymer blends to thermally rearrange the disclosed polyimides are disclosed, as are the polymer blends prepared thereby. Methods of using these polymer blends to separate gases are also disclosed.

It is provided a water-saturated carbon molecular sieve membrane obtainable by a) providing a hydrophilic carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM) comprising pores of a pore size from 0.25 nm to 0.55 nm for molecular sieving, pores of a pore size from 0.55 nm to 0.90 nm for adsorption diffusion and a negligible amount of pores larger than 0.90 nm such that a plot of N.sub.2 permeance versus pressure of permeation at room temperature and at a pressure from 1 to 4 bar has zero or negative slope; and b) humidifying the membrane until obtaining a water-saturated carbon molecular sieve membrane. It is also provided a process for the separation of a gas from a gas mixture with such a water-saturated membrane, and its use for solvent dehydration, and as a membrane reactor.

The present invention relates to a hybrid membrane mixed with nanoparticles including a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF), and a gas separation method using the same. A hybrid membrane according to the present invention comprises a polymer matrix, and nanoparticles which are dispersed in the polymer matrix and include the ZIF.

A carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membrane having improved separation characteristics for separating olefins from their corresponding paraffins is comprised of carbon with at most trace amounts of sulfur and a group 13 metal. The CMS membrane may be made by pyrolyzing a precursor polymer devoid of sulfur in which the precursor polymer has had a group 13 metal incorporated into it, wherein the metal is in a reduced state. The pyrolyzing for the precursor having the group 13 metal incorporated into it is performed in a nonoxidizing atmosphere and at a heating rate and temperature such that the metal in a reduced state (e.g., covalently bonded to carbon or nitrogen or in the metal state).

Separation of carbon dioxide from the exhaust of an internal combustion engine, the production of hydrogen from water, and reformation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen into relatively high-octane fuel components.

A separation membrane complex includes a porous support and a separation membrane formed on the support. The separation membrane has a small void. A small void index I.sub.k expressed by (Σ(S.sub.k.sup.1.5))/(S.sub.m.sup.1.5) and indicating the abundance ratio of small voids is higher than or equal to 10×10.sup.−15, and a large void index I.sub.p expressed by (Σ(S.sub.p.sup.2))/(S.sub.m.sup.2) and indicating the abundance ratio of large voids is lower than 200×10.sup.−22, where S.sub.m is the surface area of the separation membrane, S.sub.k is the area per small void, and S.sub.p is the area per large void. Accordingly, the separation membrane complex can achieve a high separation ratio.

A membrane including a polymer substrate having pore channels and a metal-organic framework disposed on the polymer substrate. Methods of producing the membrane are described. Methods of separating gases using the membrane are also provided.

Described are methods, systems, and apparatus for processing a gas mixture that contains at least two gases by contacting the gas mixture with a membrane that allows for preferential flow of one of the gases through the membrane, to separate one constituent gas from the mixture.