A contaminant removal system for removing a contaminant from an environment includes a gas separator, a scrubber-separator downstream of the gas separator, and a stripper-separator downstream of the scrubber-separator. The gas separator is configured to receive a cabin air stream from the environment and concentrate the contaminant from the cabin air stream to produce a concentrated cabin air stream. The cabin air stream includes the contaminant, and the concentrated cabin air stream has a higher concentration of the contaminant than the cabin air stream. The scrubber-separator is configured to absorb the contaminant from the concentrated cabin air stream into a liquid sorbent and discharge a clean air stream to the environment. The stripper-separator is configured to desorb the contaminant from the liquid sorbent into a contaminant stream.

A spacesuit contaminant removal system includes at least one membrane separator and a liquid sorbent circuit. The at least one membrane separator is configured to receive a spent air stream from a ventilation system of a spacesuit and absorb a contaminant from the spent air stream into a liquid sorbent. The at least one membrane separator is configured to discharge a clean air stream to the ventilation system and discharge the contaminant in a contaminant stream to a space environment using a vacuum of the space environment. The liquid sorbent circuit is configured to circulate the liquid sorbent through the at least one membrane separator.

The present invention relates to a method of removing a gas from a mixture. The method includes contacting a silicone membrane with a feed mixture including at least a first gas component and contacting a second side of the membrane with an organosilicon sweep liquid, producing a retentate mixture depleted in the first gas component and an organosilicon sweep liquid enriched in the first gas component. The invention also provides methods of removing a gas from a liquid, and methods of regenerating and recycling an organosilicon sweep liquid.

A source gas introduction line for introducing source gas containing CO.sub.2, a first membrane separator for membrane-separating CO.sub.2 from source gas, a first permeable gas discharge line for discharging first permeable gas permeated by membrane separation of the first membrane separator, a first non-permeable gas discharge line for discharging first non-permeable gas not permeated by membrane separation of the first membrane separator, a second membrane separator provided at a downstream side of the first membrane separator and for further membrane-separating CO.sub.2 from the first non-permeable gas, a second permeable gas discharge line for discharging second permeable gas permeated by membrane separation of the second membrane separator, a second permeable gas return line branched from a part of the second permeable gas discharge line and for returning the second permeable gas to a source gas side, and a CO.sub.2 concentration meter are included.

A process for producing methanol includes the following steps (a) reacting, via a catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) reaction, a CPO reactant mixture (hydrocarbon, oxygen, and optionally steam) in a CPO reactor to produce syngas including H.sub.2, CO, CO.sub.2, H.sub.2O, and unreacted hydrocarbons; and wherein the CPO reactor includes a CPO catalyst; (b) introducing the syngas to a methanol reactor to produce a methanol reactor effluent stream (methanol, water, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons); and (c) separating the methanol reactor effluent stream into a crude methanol stream, a hydrogen stream, a CO.sub.2 stream, and a purge gas stream. The crude methanol stream comprises includes methanol and water; wherein the purge gas stream includes carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons; and the CO2 stream includes at least a portion of the CO2 of the methanol reactor effluent stream; and (d) recycling at least a portion of the CO2 stream to the CPO reactor.

Recovering helium from a gaseous stream includes contacting an acid gas removal membrane with a gaseous stream to yield a permeate stream and a residual stream, removing a majority of the acid gas from the residual stream to yield a first acid gas stream and a helium depleted clean gas stream, removing a majority of the acid gas from the permeate stream to yield a second acid gas stream and a helium rich stream, and removing helium from the helium rich stream to yield a helium product stream and a helium depleted stream. A helium removal system for removing helium from a gaseous stream including hydrocarbon gas, acid gas, and helium includes a first processing zone including a first acid gas removal unit, a second processing zone including a second acid gas removal unit, a third processing zone, and a helium purification unit.

A process for recovering sulfur and carbon dioxide from a sour gas stream, the process comprising the steps of: providing a sour gas stream to a membrane separation unit, the sour gas stream comprising hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide; separating the hydrogen sulfide from the carbon dioxide in the membrane separation unit to obtain a retentate stream and a first permeate stream, wherein the retentate stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, wherein the permeate stream comprises carbon dioxide; introducing the retentate stream to a sulfur recovery unit; processing the retentate stream in the sulfur recovery unit to produce a sulfur stream and a tail gas stream, wherein the sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur; introducing the permeate stream to an amine absorption unit; and processing the permeate stream in the amine absorption unit to produce an enriched carbon dioxide stream.

The disclosure provides a method and system for extracting carbon dioxide from an exhaust gas. The method includes lowering a temperature of an exhaust gas using a heat exchanger, lowering a concentration of a particulate matter within the lowered temperature exhaust gas, and passing the lowered particulate concentration and lowered temperature exhaust gas through one or more membrane modules to produce a membrane module permeate flow that contains a higher concentration of carbon dioxide compared to a concentration of carbon dioxide in the lowered particulate concentration and lowered temperature exhaust gas. Further, the system includes a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to a particulate filter that is configured to lower a concentration of the particulate matter within the exhaust gas, and one or more membrane modules fluidly coupled to the particulate filter and configured to produce the membrane module permeate flow.

A process for sweetening a syngas stream, the process comprising the steps of: providing a syngas stream to a nonselective amine absorption unit, the sour syngas stream comprising syngas, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide; separating the syngas stream in the nonselective amine absorption unit to obtain an overhead syngas stream and an acid gas stream; introducing the acid gas stream to a membrane separation unit, the acid gas stream comprising hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide; separating the acid gas stream in the membrane separation unit to produce a retentate stream and a permeate stream, wherein the retentate stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, wherein the permeate stream comprises carbon dioxide; introducing the retentate stream to a sulfur recovery unit; processing the retentate stream in the sulfur recovery unit to produce a sulfur stream and a tail gas stream, wherein the sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur.

A spacesuit contaminant removal system includes at least one membrane separator and a liquid sorbent circuit. The at least one membrane separator is configured to receive a spent air stream from a ventilation system of a spacesuit and absorb a contaminant from the spent air stream into a liquid sorbent. The at least one membrane separator is configured to discharge a clean air stream to the ventilation system and discharge the contaminant in a contaminant stream to a space environment using a vacuum of the space environment. The liquid sorbent circuit is configured to circulate the liquid sorbent through the at least one membrane separator.