High carbon dioxide solubilities in imidazolium-based ionic liquids and in poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether.

This work is focused on the possible capture of carbon dioxide using ionic liquids (ILs). Such solvents are gaining special attention because the efficiency of many processes can be enhanced by the judicious manipulation of their properties. The absorption of greenhouse gases can be enhanced by the basic character of the IL. In this work, these characteristics are evaluated through the study of the gas-liquid equilibrium of four imidazolium-based ILs: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [BMIM][BF(4)], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate [BMIM][SCN], 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methylphosphonate [DMIM][MP], and 1,3-diethoxyimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [(ETO)(2)IM][Tf(2)N] with CO(2) at temperatures up to 373 K and pressures up to 300 bar. Solubility of carbon dioxide in poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether, component of selexol, was also measured to evaluate the capture's efficiency of ionic liquids. Experimental data indicate that 67 to 123 g of CO(2) can be absorbed per kg of ionic liquid and 198 g per kg of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether.