Efficient CO2 Separation Membrane Technology and Mass Transfer Mechanisms

Lecture Topic: Efficient CO2 Separation Membrane Technology and Mass Transfer Mechanisms
Expert: Li Zhuo
Date: June 17, 2025
Time: 15:00
Location: Energy and Power Building, Room 1517
Organizer: Energy Research Institute

Speaker Profile:
Li Zhuo is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the College of Environmental Science and Engineering (an A+ discipline) at Tongji University, and a key member of the National Key Laboratory of "Pollution Control and Resource Reuse" at Tongji University. He earned a Ph.D. in Engineering Thermophysics from Xi'an Jiaotong University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester, UK. He also conducted postdoctoral research at the École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles (ESPCI Paris). Since 2017, he has led the "Advanced Functional Materials and New Energy Utilization Technologies" innovation team under Shanghai's Category IV Peak Discipline in Environment and Ecology. In recent years, he has overseen more than 10 projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, sub-projects of the National Key R&D Program, the Shanghai Natural Science Foundation, and military research initiatives. He has published over 90 high-impact SCI papers, including 5 ESI Highly Cited Papers, with an H-index of 30. In 2024, he received the Journal of Materials Science & Technology Annual Outstanding Paper Award. He holds 10 authorized national invention patents.
Research Expertise: Application of membrane technology in CO2 separation and oil/water separation, environmental pollutant detection and analysis, molecular simulation, and machine learning.

Lecture Summary:
Separating and capturing CO2 from industrial flue gas for subsequent green disposal and resource utilization presents a significant challenge. Among various separation technologies, membrane separation has demonstrated considerable potential in CO2 capture due to its advantages of low energy consumption, high efficiency, and ease of processing. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) have garnered widespread attention for their superior gas separation performance. However, this type of membrane still faces challenges such as the "trade-off" effect and low stability. To further design mixed matrix membranes that meet practical requirements, there is an urgent need to optimize the physicochemical properties of the two phases constituting the membrane, clarify the interaction at the phase interface, and explore the mass transfer mechanisms of gas molecules within the membrane. These efforts aim to identify new methods to enhance separation performance and provide guidance for the targeted design of mixed matrix membranes that meet the demands of actual operating conditions.

Faculty and students are welcome to attend!