Hanyang University
College of Engineering

Cultivating Korea¡¯s Technological Outcomes

ȨÀ¸·Î FacultyResearch Highlights

Research Highlights

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Prof. Young-mu Lee (Dept of Energy Engineering)
Developed carbon dioxide sequestration
Prof. Young Moo Lee (Dept of Energy Engineering) and his research team developed plastic material which can significantly capture carbon dioxide, main cause of global warming. In the New Main Building on July 30, 2009, the team held the contract ceremony to transfer the related technology to Air Products & Chemicals Inc., a global gas and chemical company. Carbon dioxide capture membrane technology transferred to Air Products was a significant membrane technology redefining the separation limit of the existing membranes.



Existing technology used the principle that when basic material is attached to carbon dioxide, solid sediment is formed. However, in order for the sediment acquired by such technology to be reused, its temperature should be raised to 110¡É , which required additional cost for the energy and building facilities on the land. So, it was urgent to develop a new technology of sequestrating carbon dioxide. Professor Lee's team solved the problem of existing technology by a method using polymer separation membrane.

As reported in Science in 2007, the method of using separation membrane is to make membrane by thermally treating polyimide, existing plastic, to polybenzoxazole by chemical transformation. Microporous cavities are formed in this membrane through thermal rearrangement. Carbon dioxides are smaller than those cavities, and thus one can separate them selectively. Using this principle, TR membranes can separate carbon dioxides 500 times faster than conventional membrane processes meaning that much smaller capture sites are needed. TR membranes are excellent in heat resistance. To increase separation efficiency of carbon dioxides, Professor Lee's team developed hollow fiber, and filed international patents. Prof. Lee said, "Transfer of the TR membrane technology we developed to a global company demonstrates the possibility of this novel membrane  f rom the laboratory into practical use."

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