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A series of experiments on the facilitated transport of CO2 through supported liquid membranes impregnated with aqueous solutions of various amines as carriers was performed, and the effects of the reaction rate and the chemical equilibrium of the reaction between CO2 and amine on the permeability of CO2 were investigated. Four primary amines (monoethanolarnine (MEA), ethylenediamine (EDA), monoprotonated ethylenediamine (EDAH+), 2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol (AMP)), one secondary amine (diethanolamine (DEA)) and two tertiary amines (triethanolamine (TEA), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)) were used as the carrier. The feed gas was a mixture of CO2 and CH4. High CO2 permeabilities were obtained with the EDAH+ membrane due to its moderate chemical equilibrium constant Keq which is favorable for both fast absorption of CO2 at the feed side of the membrane and fast stripping at the sweep side. Low CO2 permeabilities were obtained with the tertiary amine and AMP membranes due to their low reactivity. The CO2 permeability through the MEA membrane, which has too large a Keq value at low temperature, increased with increasing temperature due to the decrease in Keq and also due to the increase in the reaction rate. The experimental results obtained with the MEA, DEA and EDAH+ membranes were simulated on the basis of the theory of facilitated transport.

The rate constant of the CO 2 -EDAH + system has been determined by the chemical absorption method. As very dilute amine solutions and dilute CO 2 were used in gas absorption experiments, physical properties such as diffusivities and solubilities for the CO 2 -pure water system could be used in the analysis. Kinetics of the reaction between CO 2 and some other amines such as ethylenediamine (EDA) and monoethanolamine (MEA) have also been studied and compared with the values reported in the literature.