• Membrane Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.197-209
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• 2007

In this study, a multi-staged pilot-scale membrane plant was constructed and operated for the separation of $CO_2$ from LNG-fired boiler flue gas of 1,000 $Nm^3/day$. The target purity and recovery ratio of $CO_2$ required for the pilot plant were 99% and 90%, respectively. For this purpose, we previously developed the asymmetric polyethersulfone hollow fibers and evaluated the effects of operating pressure and feed concentration of $CO_2$ on separation performance[1,2]. The permeation data obtained were also analyzed in relation with the numerical simulation data using counter-current flow model[3,4]. Based on these results, we designed and prepared the demonstration plant consisting of dehumidification process and four-staged membrane process. The operation results using this plant were compared with the numerical simulation results on multi-staged membrane process. The experimental results matched well with the numerical simulation data. The concentration and the recovery ratio of $CO_2$ in the final stage permeate stream were ranged from $95{\sim}99%$ and $70{\sim}95%$, respectively, depending on the operating conditions. This study demonstrated the applicability of the membrane-based pilot plant for $CO_2$ recovery from flue gas.