Ionic Liquid Sorbent for Non-Corrosive Water Vapor Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid desiccants for removing water vapor from gas sources are corrosive and toxic, leading to environmental and operational challenges, and often precipitate at high concentrations and low relative humidity, necessitating the development of a safer and more cost-effective alternative.
Innovation Solution
The use of room temperature ionic liquids as sorbents, which remain liquid at typical working conditions and can be formulated with coordinating cations and anions to interact with water vapor through Coulomb and Van der Waals forces, potentially combined with hygroscopic particles to enhance sorption capacity, forming a device for efficient vapor removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional liquid desiccants (LiCl, CaCl2) are used for water vapor removal, then high sorption capacity is achieved, but corrosion and toxicity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing conventional inorganic desiccants with ionic liquids having specific cation-anion combinations. This parameter change maintains high sorption capacity while eliminating corrosion and toxicity issues, as the ionic liquids are designed to be non-corrosive and environmentally benign.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material design by combining ionic liquids with hygroscopic particles (such as silica gel, alumina, or activated carbon) to create a composite sorbent system. This composite approach enhances the overall sorption capacity while the ionic liquid component provides the non-corrosive and non-toxic characteristics.
2Productivity
If conventional liquid desiccants are used at high concentrations, then water vapor removal efficiency increases, but precipitation occurs at low relative humidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the desiccant by using ionic liquids with tailored viscosity, surface tension, and hygroscopicity. These parameter changes enable the ionic liquid to maintain stable composition at high concentrations without precipitating, even at low relative humidity conditions, while preserving high water vapor removal efficiency.
3Productivity
If traditional liquid desiccants are used, then water vapor absorption is effective, but manufacturing and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts the principle of using cost-effective ionic liquids that can be easily manufactured and replaced. The ionic liquids are designed to be non-toxic and environmentally friendly, reducing the need for expensive safety measures and maintenance protocols, thereby lowering overall system costs despite the higher base material cost of ionic liquids compared to conventional desiccants.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ionic liquids provide a non-corrosive, efficient, and cost-effective means for removing water vapor and other multi-pole molecules from gas sources, maintaining stability across varying conditions and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
The cation may be a coordinating cation, which is capable of interacting with the multipole-moment vapor molecules by means of Coulomb forces
Implementation Method 2
The cation may be a coordinating cation, which is capable of interacting with the multipole-moment vapor molecules by means of Coulomb forces, hydrogen bonding, Van der Waals forces, etc.
Implementation Method 3
The cation may be a coordinating cation, which is capable of interacting with the multipole-moment vapor molecules by means of Coulomb forces, hydrogen bonding, Van der Waals forces, etc.
Implementation Method 4
the amount of H2O vapor in the H2O absorbent complex is reduced, such as by heating
Data Source
AI summary
A method for sorbing a gas using an ionic liquid to sorb a vapor having an electric multi-pole moment. The ionic liquid comprises an anion and a cation. The electric multi-pole moment may be an electric dipole moment and/or an electric quadru-pole moment. The sorption may be an adsorption or an absorption. The ionic liquid may be a liquid that substantially contains only anions and cations, while not containing other components, such as water. Alternatively, a solution containing the ionic liquid and a solvent or further compound, such as water, may be used.