Methods and systems for removing contaminants, such as water and/or carbon dioxide, from a gas stream, such as a natural gas stream or a flue gas stream. One or more solid-tolerant heat exchangers are employed to chill the gas stream to a temperature at which the contaminants solidify. The solidified contaminants may then be separated and removed from the gas stream. In one or more aspects, the one or more solid-tolerant heat exchangers may include a scraped heat exchanger.

Processes for regenerating sorbents at high temperatures, and associated systems, are generally described.

A housing of a separation apparatus includes therein a zeolite membrane complex. A sheath includes therein the housing. A fluid supplied to the inside of the housing has a temperature higher than the temperature around the sheath. A second exhaust port is used to exhaust a permeated substance that has permeated through the zeolite membrane complex in the fluid to the outside of the housing. The permeated substance exhausted from the housing can be led into an exterior space between the sheath and the housing through the second exhaust port and can be exhausted through an exterior exhaust port. At least part of the zeolite membrane complex is included in an inter-port space surrounded by the sheath, the second exhaust port, and the exterior exhaust port. This structure reduces energy required for fluid separation performed under high temperatures.

Methods of sequestering CO.sub.2 from a gaseous source of CO.sub.2 are provided. Aspects of the methods include employing an alkali enrichment protocol, such as a membrane mediated alkali enrichment protocol, in a CO.sub.2 sequestration protocol. Also provided are systems for practicing the methods.

The invention relates to a cyclic method of producing a hydrogen rich and/or a carbon monoxide rich stream using different materials, a first solid material, a second solid material and a CO.sub.2 sorbent material.

In a first step a first gas stream comprising steam and at least one reductant is brought in contact with the three materials resulting in a hydrogen rich outlet stream.

In a second step, the captured CO.sub.2 from the first step is released and converted to CO to produce a CO rich outlet stream.

The invention further relates to an installation for producing a hydrogen rich and/or carbon monoxide rich stream.

The present disclosure relates to a novel improved method for continuous crystallization of highly crystalline clathrate hydrates. The novel improved method utilizes a novel hydrator capable of overcoming heat and mass transfer limitations that usually constrain crystallization rate and thus reduces process productivity. The disclosed method and hydrator are for production of crystalline clathrates in general, CO.sub.2 capture, capture of other clathrate forming compounds, CO.sub.2 storage and transportation, storage and transportation of any clathrate forming compound in a solid lattice, gas separation or water desalination or purification purposes.

An environmental control system employs an electrolysis cell utilizing an anion conducting membrane. A power supply is coupled across the anode and cathode of the electrolysis cell to drive reactions to reduce oxygen and/or carbon dioxide in an output gas flow. A cathode enclosure may be coupled with the electrolysis cell and provide an input gas flow and receive the output gas flow. A first electrolysis cell may be utilized to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in an output flow that is directed to a second electrolysis cell, that reduces the concentration of oxygen. The oxygen and/or carbon dioxide may be vented from the system and used for an auxiliary purpose. An electrolyte solution may be configured in a loop from a reservoir to the anode, to provide a flow of electrolyte solution to the anode. Moisture from the cathode may be collected and provided to the anode.

The present invention aims to improve the separation selectivity for light gases such as hydrogen and helium. The gas separation membrane according to the present invention includes a porous support layer and a separation functional layer containing a cross-linked polyamide and laid on the porous support layer, wherein: the separation functional layer has a protuberance structure containing a plurality of protrusions and recesses; randomly selected 20 of the protrusions on the surface of the separation functional layer indented under a load of 3 nN and observed in pure water at 25° C. by atomic force microscopy give an average deformation of 5.0 nm or more and 10.0 nm or less; and they give a standard deviation of the deformation of 5.0 nm or less.

A quaternary ammonium-functionalized poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymer for moisture-swing CO2 capture, and a method for producing the same, is disclosed. The copolymer includes a polysulfone copolymer having a copolymerization unit based on diallyl bisphenal A (DABA) and has quaternary ammonium functionalities. The method for preparation of a quaternary ammonium-functionalized poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymer includes reacting diallyl bisphenol A (DABA) with bisphenol A (BPA) and 4,4'-difluorodiphenyl sulfone (DFDPS) to form an allyl-modified poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PAES-co-APAES) copolymer, then modifying the PAES-co-APAES copolymer to convert the allyl functionalities to tertiary amines, forming tertiary amine-modified PAES (PAES-co-TAPAES) copolymer. The method also includes converting the tertiary amine of the PAES-co-TAPAES copolymer to quaternary ammonium, forming quaternary ammonium-modified PAES. These quaternary ammonium-modified PAES may be processed into membranes, films, and hollow fibers.

The present invention relates to a drying apparatus capable of regenerating an adsorbent used for drying using microwaves. The drying apparatus of the present invention is formed to include a microwave irradiation means configured to irradiate microwaves to the adsorbent in a plurality of reaction towers in which the adsorbent adsorbing moisture or carbon dioxide is embedded, and when regenerating the adsorbent, directly heats the adsorbent using microwaves, thereby shortening a heating time and securing a sufficient cooling time, resulting in the effect of reducing the amount of dry air consumed for cooling and further increasing the drying efficiency.