Electrochemical separator

An electrochemical separator comprising:

• an electrochemical reactor having an anode including an anode inlet and an anode outlet, a cathode including a cathode inlet and a cathode outlet, and an ion-conducting membrane separating the anode and the cathode;
• a sorption circuit fluidly connected with the cathode outlet and the anode inlet, the sorption circuit including a polar gas collector section;
• a desorption circuit fluidly connected the anode outlet and the cathode inlet, the desorption circuit including a polar gas discharge section;
• an aqueous working liquid for circulation through sorption circuit and the desorption circuit, the aqueous working liquid containing water and electrochemically active organic molecules dissolved in the water, wherein the electrochemically active organic molecules are quinone molecules that are functionalized with at least one sulfonic acid group in which a sulfur atom of the at least one sulfonic acid group is bonded to a carbon atom of the quinone molecule, and wherein
• the polar gas collector section is configured to expose the aqueous working fluid to a mixed gas stream that contains some polar gas specie,
• the cathode of the electrochemical reactor operable to chemically reduce the electrochemically active organic molecule, thereby electrochemically activating electrochemically active organic molecule for polar gas capture in the polar gas collector,
• the anode of the electrochemical reactor operable to chemically oxidize the electrochemically active organic molecule, thereby electrochemically deactivating the electrochemically active organic molecule and releasing the polar gas species as gas, and
• the polar gas discharge section is configured to emit the polar gas.