A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t
Highlights:Emulsion liquid membrane in rotating disc contactor was used for CO2/CH4 separation A stable emulsion liquid membrane was formulated by high-speed homogenization The characteristics of emulsion liquid membrane system were evaluated The process parameters for CO 2 separation from natural gas were analyzed ABSTRACT This study modified the rotating disc contactor (RDC) structure to optimize its performance for CO 2 separation from natural gas feed using stable emulsion liquid membrane (ELM).Based on parametric study of absorption of CO 2 from natural gas feed into ELM, the mass transfer behaviour in the RDC system was optimized. Rotor diameter, stator inner diameter and minimum free area of RDC were modified to achieve maximum contact between dispersed liquid phase and gas feed phase which was necessary to achieve maximum mass transfer. The problem of rupture the emulsion droplet due to pressure created by direct dispersing of gas at the bottom of conventional RDC extraction system was addressed by Page 3 of 44 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t adding an impeller at the bottom compartment of RDC. Impeller provided continuous mixing of emulsion and a gas sparger was fitted along the impeller side which maintained the dispersed aqueous phase miscible in system. The hydrodynamic behavior of a modified RDC was optimized for CO 2 absorption from natural gas in ELM which indicated that modified design dimensions can provide a maximum liquid-gas contact. Beside the concentration CO 2 in natural gas feed, it was observed that the speed of RDC and run time significantly influences CO 2 absorption from natural gas using ELM. If all the parameters optimized absorption from natural gas feed. This study is also useful in extending the application of RDC in liquid-gas system. In this study are applied in proper conditions, the use of ELM in RDC can be effective for CO 2 .
