Browsing by Author "Philip, Firuz Alam"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access Development of task specific ionic liquids incorporated porous sorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2024-04) Philip, Firuz Alam; Henni, Amr; Ibrahim, Hussameldin; Shirif, Ezeddin; Salama, Amgad; Qing, Hairuo; Croiset, Eric B.Amino functionalized ionic liquids (AAILs), also known as task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs), have demonstrated CO2 capture ability similar to amines while maintaining ionic liquid properties such as low regeneration energy, volatility, and thermal stability. However, high synthesis costs and viscosity prevent their broad usage in CO2 capture technologies. Recently discovered porous materials like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and ordered mesoporous silica have stimulated scientists’ interest in CO2 capture applications. However, these materials have limited CO2 absorption and poor CO2/N2 selectivity, particularly at post-combustion CO2 capture conditions (0.15 bar). Immobilizing TSILs in solid pores to boost CO2 capture is an innovative way to address the drawbacks of both TSILs and porous materials. This study incorporated 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium [Emim] cations with Glycine [Gly] and Alanine [Ala] as reactive Amino Acid (AA) anion, resulting in [Emim][Gly] and [Emim] [Ala]. Three porous solid supports were used, metal-organic-framework (MOF-177), zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8), and ordered mesoporous silica (MCM-48) leading to TSILs@MOF/ZIF/MCM composites. TGA and XRD measurements were performed to determine the composites’ thermal and structural stability. The specific surface area and the pore volume distribution were determined by using N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms at 77 K. CO2 adsorption isotherms were measured using an intelligent gravimetric analyzer (IGA) at three temperatures (303, 313, and 323 K), and N2 adsorption isotherms were measured at 313 K for a pressure range of 0.1 to 10 bar, for all composites and pristine solids. The CO2/N2 selectivities were computed using the CO2 and N2 adsorption isotherms. Adsorption isotherms were modeled by the Dual-Site Langmuir (DSL) model, and the isosteric enthalpy of adsorption was computed. [Emim][Gly]@ZIF-8 composites demonstrated excellent improvements in CO2 uptake and CO2/N2 selectivity at 30 wt. % loading. CO2 uptake was 10 times higher than in pure ZIF-8 at 0.1 bar and 303 K, and selectivity improved to 28 from 5 at 0.1 bar and 313 K. At 20 wt. % loading, AAILs-encapsulated composites surpassed pure MOF-177 in CO2 uptake by a factor of 3. The ideal AAIL loading was 20 wt. % and increasing the loading to 30 wt.% did not increase CO2 uptake for the AAILs@MOF177 composite. [Emim][Gly]@MCM-48 and [Emim][Ala]@MCM-48 composites enhanced CO2 uptake 10-fold and CO2/N2 selectivity to 17 from 2 at 0.1 bar for 40 wt. % loading. The improved CO2 capacity and selectivity can be attributed to the formation of C-N bonds between CO2 and the -NH2 functional group, as suggested by the isosteric enthalpy of adsorption. In addition, blended systems of amine (PZ) with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate [Bmim][Ac] have the potential for high CO2 capture capabilities like TSILs without inheriting TSIL limitations such as high synthesis cost and viscosity. CO2 absorption was unaffected by 30 wt. % IL in the aqueous PZ, while 60 wt. % IL greatly increased it. Furthermore, this aqueous blended system (PZ+IL+H2O) and a second non-aqueous system of ethylene glycol (EG) mixed with MEA were examined as slurry systems in which porous solid ZIF-8 was suspended. Nonaqueous slurry systems outperformed aqueous slurry systems, which could be attributed to the collapse and/or pore filling of ZIF-8 in aqueous systems as evident from the TGA and XRD analysis of the recovered ZIF-8. These research results can be used to build sorbents with superior qualities to address environmental concerns since they shed light on the synthesis, structure, and sorption capacity of these innovative composite materials.Item Open Access Simulation Study of Distillation, Stripping, and Flash Technology for an Energy Efficient Methanol Recovery Unit in Biodiesel Production Processes(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2013-11) Philip, Firuz Alam; Veawab, Amornvadee; Aroonwilas, Adisorn; Ng, Tsun Wai Kelvin; Idem, Raphael; Zeng, FanhuaBiodiesel is an important alternative renewable energy source currently produced by transesterification reaction of oil or fat with methanol. To improve the conversion, excess methanol is required, which must be recovered from the product stream and recycled back into the process for further biodiesel production. The intensive energy requirements for methanol recovery are an important issue that directly impacts the production costs of biodiesel. To reduce the cost of biodiesel production, an energy efficient methanol recovery unit (MRU) is crucial. This work focuses on energy requirement reduction by distillation, flash-based recovery, and newly-introduced stripping-based methanol recovery units. Four different continuous methanol recovery units were simulated using Aspen Plus. Energy requirements with respect to process parameters including percentage of methanol recovery, operating pressure, and methanol-to-oil ratio for all methanol recovery units were analyzed. Units were compared in terms of energy requirement and purity of recovered methanol product. The simulation results show that energy requirement for methanol recovery units increases with increase in % methanol recovery and reflux ratio (for distillation), but decreases with decrease in operating pressure and increase in methanol-to-oil ratio. The recovered methanol is pure for distillation and stripping-based MRUs. However, for flash-based MRUs, the purity of recovered methanol degrades at the high heat duty supplied. Consequently, the single- and double-flash-based MRUs have narrow ranges of operation. Moreover, double-flash-based MRUs have no significant advantages over single-flash-based MRUs in terms of heat duty. Comparison of heat duty among distillation, stripping, and single-flash reveals that the single-flash-based MRU is the most energy efficient followed by stripping and distillation-based MRUs.