POLYMERIC MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR REMOVING ACID GASES FROM NATURAL GAS

Acid gases (CO2 and H2S) are considered critical contaminants in naturalgas production, they are associated with the corrosion of treatment unit installationsand the de-characterization of the product for commercialization. Membraneseparation is a key technology for the treatment of this gas, especially in offshoreenvironments and plants with high operating pressure. However, a major challenge isthe plasticization caused by the high CO2 pressure, which severely reduces theeffectiveness of the membranes. This review highlights the latest strategies used tooperate membranes under the above conditions, including treatments such ascrosslinking, mixed matrix and polymer blending in polymeric membranes.