Bio4Energy, Free Strategic Project, 2025

Use of spent zeolite membranes for microfiltration of biorefinery streams

This project focuses on recycling high-performance zeolite membranes originally used for CO₂/CH₄ separation in biogas upgrading. These membranes, which outperform polymer alternatives in both efficiency and cost, have a lifespan of ~10 years. Large-scale use will result in significant waste, so the project aims to develop methods to remove the zeolite layer and reuse the alumina support as microfiltration membranes, such as nanocellulose and pyrolysis oil applications.

The project is carried out as a collaboration between three different platforms in Bio4Energy, including Biopolymers and Biochemical Conversion (Senior Lecturer Linn Berglund and Dr. Luísa Völtz, Materials Science, LTU), Catalysis and Separation Technologies (Assoc. Prof. Liang Yu, Chemical Technology, LTU), and Thermochemical Conversation (Linda Sandström, RISE).