Event
CHBE Seminar: Dr. Chen Zhang, UMD
Friday, September 6, 2024
11:00 a.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Patricia Lorenzana
301-405-1935
plorenza@umd.edu
Decarbonizing Hydrogen Separation by Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes
Abstract: Hydrogen (H2) has emerged as a clean and efficient fuel for power generation and transportation owing to its zero-emission combustion and high energy density. Over 95% of the world’s H2 is derived from fossil fuel, which requires energy-intensive H2/CO2 separation to produce high-purity H2 and capture the CO2 by-product. Membranes can decarbonize H2 separation because they require no or much less energy inputs than traditional separation processes such as pressure-swing adsorption or cryogenic distillation. However, the application of membranes for H2 production has been challenged by moderate membrane H2/CO2 selectivity. In this talk, I will present our recent work on carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes with unprecedented H2/CO2 selectivity for decarbonized H2 separation. I will first introduce CMS hollow fiber membranes derived from solution-processable aromatic polyamide precursors. This will be followed by a discussion on the effects of precursor polymer amide moiety and interchain interactions on CMS membrane ultramicropore structure and transport properties. Co-production of H2 and olefins by catalytic CMS hollow fiber membrane reactors will also be presented.
Bio: Chen Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he also did post-doctoral research. He joined the faculty of University of Maryland in August 2018 and is directing the Sustainable Separations Lab. His present research interests are focused on polymer and nanoporous membranes, sorbents, and hollow fiber membrane reactors. He received the NSF CAREER Award and the ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award in 2021.
