Journal of Membrane Science, Vol.542, 264-271, 2017
Simultaneous CO2 capture and amino acid production using bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED)
Amino acid salts have the potential for CO2 capture due to their lower vapor pressure and higher stability against oxidative degradation. In our present study, the CO2 capture and extraction of methionine were simultaneously achieved from methionine salt using bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED). CO2 capture was firstly achieved using the methionine salt and then the mixture was converted into methionine and CO2 through the BMED process. Our procedure may significantly challenge the conventional amino acid acidification process using inorganic acids. Results indicated that a high-purity methionine was successfully obtained along with the successful recovery of CO2. The attain methionine extraction ratio can be as high as 99.57% while the energy consumption can be as low as 7.0 kW h for 1 kg of CO2. Therefore, it is a highly effective and environmentally friendly process for capturing CO2 and simultaneous producing this amino acid.