(285e) Additive Manufacturing of MOF Contactors for CO2 Capture

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high CO₂ capacities have been developed for CO₂ capture technologies, but their full performance is often not realized in pellet-packed beds due to high pressure drops, slow mass transfer, lack of thermal management (i.e., cooling during adsorption), and inefficient heating and cooling during the desorption and cooling steps respectively. Implementing MOFs in structured adsorbent contactors with thermal management and heat integration (e.g., sensible heat recovery post-desorption) mitigates the limitations.

Here we utilize solution-based additive manufacturing (SBAM), a form of 3D printing, to directly fabricate hierarchically-porous contactors containing a MOF. Contactor porosity is achieved via solvent-evaporation induced phase inversion of a ternary polymeric solution during the printing process. The dependence of porosity on printing parameters, including nozzle temperature, bed temperature, and printing speed, is demonstrated. Functionalization of the MOF is performed post-printing, and the geometrical versatility of SBAM is demonstrated through novel contactor designs. Pre- and post-printing characterization of the MOF, including CO₂ isotherms, N₂ physisorption, XRD, NMR, and SEM, confirm its stability throughout the fabrication process. The contactor performance is evaluated for natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) applications using dynamic humid CO₂ breakthrough experiments. Overall, the results of this work provide a foundation for fabricating MOF contactors with enhanced mass and heat transfer for humid CO₂ capture applications.