[JCCL Co., Ltd.] JCCL Co., Ltd. x Kyushu University x JAXA x Tokyo Institute of Technology Successfully designed a membrane separation device for CO2 separation and removal on board the lunar exploration vessel!
*JCCL Co., Ltd.*
Press release: September 11, 2024
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JCCL Co., Ltd. x Kyushu University x JAXA x Tokyo Institute of Technology Successfully designed a membrane separation device for CO2 separation and removal on board the lunar exploration vessel! JCCL Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nishi-ku, Fukuoka City), in
collaboration with Kyushu University, JAXA, and Tokyo Institute of Technology, has developed a membrane separation device for separating and removing CO2 aboard manned space exploration vehicles such as manned pressurized rovers. We are pleased to inform you that the design was successful.
This design was designed based on the idea of a manned pressurized rover (Note 1) being considered by JAXA for the lunar surface exploration program (Artemis program) proposed by NASA. This is a CO2 separation/removal device that has the function of separating CO2 and removing it from the ship.
A high-performance CO2 selectively permeable membrane
(amine-containing gel particle membrane (Note 2)) and vacuum steam sweep type membrane separation device developed by JCCL Co., Ltd. based on the research results of Professor Hoshino of Kyushu University Graduate School of Engineering. (Note 3), the pressurized rover carrying two astronauts will separate the CO2 contained in the exhalation of the astronauts and emit it outside the spacecraft to lower the CO2 concentration inside the spacecraft. We optimized the operating conditions of the device to maintain the concentration.
As a result of the study, we decided to appropriately change the number of membrane modules used in the CO2 removal device according to the amount of CO2 generated, which varies greatly depending on the astronaut’s activity status (sleeping time, active time, exercise time). It was shown that the increase in CO2 concentration can be appropriately suppressed without losing useful gases (nitrogen and oxygen) inside the rover. Furthermore, it was shown that the power consumption of the CO2 removal device could be significantly reduced by adjusting the amount of air introduced into the CO2 removal device depending on the exercise state. In the future, we will continue research to further miniaturize the system, with the aim of
implementing it inside manned spacecraft.
These results are not only useful for separating and removing CO2 in space exploration, but also for direct capture of CO2 from the Earth’s atmosphere and the air inside office buildings.
It is expected to be applied as a fundamental technology to realize DAC).
This result is the result of joint research with JCCL Corporation, Kyushu University, JAXA, and Tokyo Institute of Technology through the JAXA Space Exploration Innovation Hub Project, and will be announced at the 55th Autumn Conference of the Society of Chemical Engineers on September 11, 2024. It was done.
* (Note 1) Manned pressurized rover*
JAXA is considering a rover that will allow astronauts to board and live on the moon while exploring the surface of celestial bodies such as the moon for about a month. It will be able to carry out surveys of the lunar surface’s geology and resources over a broader range, including during unmanned periods, and will play a very important role in the Artemis project, which aims for sustainable lunar exploration. Quoted from https://humans-in-space.jaxa.jp/biz-lab/tech/pressurized-rover/
* (Note 2) * * Amine-containing gel particle membrane *
A high-performance CO2 selective permeation membrane (Figure 1) manufactured by spray coating a porous support membrane with gel particles containing amines that react with CO2. It has been reported that CO2 permeates 2,380 times more selectively than nitrogen for a gas containing 400 ppm of CO2, which simulates air (permeation flux: 1,270 ppm).
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* ACS Appl. Mater. & Interf.* 13, 30030-, 2021
Quoted from
A device that separates and concentrates CO2 by flowing
humidity-controlled CO2-containing gas through a CO2 separation membrane, reducing the pressure on the permeate side, and supplying steam. By automatically controlling the supply amount and relative humidity of the reduced-pressure steam flowing to the permeation side, CO2 with a concentration of 13% can be stably concentrated to over 97% for over a month.
Model diagram of reduced pressure steam sweep type CO2 membrane separator