Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Whitefox Technologies Ltd. engaged with SAIT in 2019 to advance their research into hollow-fiber membrane technology, specifically focusing on the application of a novel material called Polybenzimidazole (PBI) for a vapor permeation process. Advancements made in the initial project will now be applied to the area of gas permeation to separate CO2 from complex flue gas streams prior to being emitted into the environment. In order to ensure the membranes have superior selectivity to CO2 while avoiding challenges associated with water saturation of membrane materials, Whitefox and SAIT will conduct research to incorporate a novel nanostructured Metal Organic Framework (MOF) coating into their membrane separation process. While extensive research has been done on engineering MOF hollow-fiber membranes, there are significant challenges associated with commercializing such products, including high cost, poor scalability of MOF production, degradation due to wet acid gases including H2S and CO2, and water saturation. Whitefox will utilize a newly synthesized nanostructured MOF created at the University of Calgary called Calgary Framework-20 (CALF-20) which has low affinity for water and stability to wet acid gases to facilitate the commercialization of this membrane technology. By combining the use of the novel nanostructured MOF and a PBI membrane substrate material, Whitefox will be able to pursue higher temperature and pressure applications necessary for carbon sequestration of flue gas streams. The objectives of this project include developing an optimal coating process for depositing the CALF-20 on PBI hollow fiber membranes, assessing the compatibility of the coating with other components of Whitefox’s membrane cartridges, and evaluating the resistance of the coated substrate to a variety of common chemical contaminants found in flue gas streams. Successful implementation of this technology will propel the private sector and Canada in general to the forefront of carbon capture technologies, providing Canada the capacity to produce a low operational expenditure (OPEX) technology that is founded on novel materials that are sufficiently scalable to meet the demands of industry and regulatory bodies.