Funding Project “NanoKom”: Carbon membranes for increased efficiency

Carbon membranes for industrial applications

The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate that nanoscale carbon membranes can be used for separation tasks involving condensable components under chemically demanding conditions in industrial applications. This is an integral part of developing innovative materials for a pollution-free environment and increasing resource efficiency in industrial applications to reduce unwanted emissions.

Reguirement: stable support structure

It is well known from the literature that nanoscale carbon membranes can be used for this purpose. Since many of these separation tasks are carried out under aggressive conditions in industrial practice (e.g., high temperatures, high pressure, presence of corrosive components, or aggressive solvents), the components used must be sufficiently resistant. This is currently not the case, or only to a limited extent, with commercially available membranes. However, the exceptional resistance of various carbon modifications under these conditions suggests their suitability for these applications, but also requires a correspondingly stable support structure.

One possible carrier structure is ceramic supports/membranes, such as those developed and commercially distributed by Rauschert under the brand name “Inopor.”