Improving CO₂ Removal Efficiency with Bio-Cellulose Acetate: A Multi-Stage Membrane Separation Approach

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Agricultural waste, such as coconut water (CW), presents a sustainable source for material production.
• Developing efficient and eco-friendly gas separation membranes is crucial for environmental and industrial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the sustainable production of bacterial cellulose (BC) and cellulose acetate (CA) membranes from CW.
• To evaluate the performance of these membranes for CO2/CH4 separation.
• To optimize membrane performance and eco-efficiency using a multi-stage approach.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of BC and CA membranes from CW.
• Characterization of membranes (morphology, FTIR, tensile strength, chemical composition).
• Evaluation of CO2/CH4 separation performance under varying pressure, thickness, and stages.

Main Results:

• CA membranes demonstrated significant CO2/CH4 selectivity, with double-stage configurations outperforming single-stage.
• Optimal performance achieved with 0.04 mm thick CA membranes at 0.28 MPa (selectivity: 35.52).
• Eco-efficiency analysis indicated optimal conditions at 0.04 mm thickness and 0.175 MPa (selectivity/THB: 3.08).

Conclusions:

• Coconut water waste can be effectively converted into high-performance gas separation membranes.
• The developed membranes offer a sustainable and efficient solution for CO2/CH4 separation.
• This research advances eco-friendly membrane technology and its practical applications.