STAGED CONCENTRATION AMPLIFICATION OF GASES USING POLYMER ABSORBERS

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS INCREASINGLY LIMIT EMISSION OF GASEOUS SUBSTANCES FROM INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES NECESSITATING SEPARATION AND RECOVERY OF MANY COMPOUNDS. IT IS INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO RECOVER DILUTE GASES IN PROCESS WASTE STREAMS FOR RECYCLE OF VALUABLE CHEMICALS ECONOMICALLY, AND TO LIMIT EMISSIONS. THE RESEARCH IS DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY FOR SEPARATION, CONCENTRATION, AND REVOVERY OF GASEOUS SUBSTANCES FROM INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES. THE NOVEL PROCESS IS BASED ON STAGED ABSORPTION AND DESORPTION WITH HEATING UTILIZING NON-REACTING ABSORBENT POLYMER BEDS. IT ENABLES RECOVERY FOR RECYCLE OR DISPOSAL AT VOLUME REDUCTIONS OF SEVERAL ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE. THIS GREATLY MINIMIZES WASTE VOLUME AND AVOIDS THE DEGRADATION EFFECTS INTERFERANTS SUCH AS WATER VAPOR HAVE ON ADSORBERS LIKE CHARCOAL. AN EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL MEANS OF DOING THIS WILL ENABLE U.S. INDUSTRY TO BE COMPETITIVE INTERNATIONALLY. THE PROCESS IS APPLICABLE TO A LARGE NUMBER OF GASES INCLUDING VOCS. SMALL-SCALE EXPERIMENTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS NOVEL PROCESS. THEY ARE GUIDED BY A NUMERICAL MODEL DEVELOPED AND USED FOR A PARAMETRIC STUDY. BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL AND MODEL RESULTS, PERFORMANCE ESTIMATES FOR A FULL SCALE SYSTEM ARE BEING MADE.