Thu, 19 February, 2026
There is still time to join a new joint industry project investigating the permeation of pressurised carbon dioxide (CO2) through thermoplastics.
Carbon capture and storage applications as well as those related to enhanced oil recovery that include steel pipe remediation or liners for thermoplastic composite pipes require an assessment of the barrier properties of thermoplastic polymers. These assessments establish the effectiveness of thermoplastic materials as barrier layers against impurities in CO2 feedstock, such as water vapour, ammonia, nitrous oxide, hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide.
These barriers reduce the rate of arrival of corrosive species at load bearing steel supports and base pipes. However, CO2 fluid compositions can vary between locations, creating potentially high costs to establish how each fluid composition impacts thermoplastic systems on a case-by-case basis.
This new project, ‘Combined Permeation of Pressurised CO2 with Impurities through Thermoplastics,’ will establish whether some impurities are selectively blocked by the internal structure of the thermoplastic resin, allowing them to be excluded from future screening studies.
Our experts will conduct research to create guidance around which impurities within CO2 compositions are most relevant when assessing the barrier properties and ageing of thermoplastics from the polyethylene, polyphenylene sulphide or polyvinylidiene families.
By establishing whether any transport of these impurity species causes ageing in the thermoplastic matrix, we will be able to provide guidance as to which compositions are relevant to assess with regard to the barrier properties and ageing of thermoplastics.
The outcomes of this research, which will be conducted at our state-of-the-art permeation facility, will be made available to the project sponsors, who will also be able to determine which thermoplastic materials are tested.
As with all of our joint industry projects, by pooling their investment, sponsors will be able to gain access to results beyond the cost of their input into the project, as well as being able to guide the parameters of the research.
We are currently accepting sponsors for this innovative new project, and you can find out more on the dedicated webpage, here:
https://www.twi-global.com/what-we-do/research-and-technology/research-programmes/joint-industry-projects/combined-permeation-of-pressurised-co2-with-impurities-through-thermoplastics