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At least 127 records · Page 7

Strong degradation of polycarbonate and polystyrene by the CO 2 capture solvent diethyl sebacate

Here, we report on observations of strong degradation of a polycarbonate vessel by a solvent being considered for a CO 2 capture process, diethyl sebacate. This degradation led to failure of a polymeric hollow fiber membrane unit. Additional tests showed rapid degradation of polycarbonate safety glasses and polystyrene-based petri dishes by exposure to diethyl sebacate at ambient conditions. We also report on safe operations with diethyl sebacate in extensive experiments studying the corrosion of steel in CO 2 -pressurized reactors lined with PTFE and using PTFE gaskets. Used diethyl sebacate was also stored for long time periods in bottles made from low-density polyethylene bottles without physical deterioration. These observations indicate that care must be taken in development of new contactors and processes for CO 2 capture with diethyl sebacate and related solvents and in the choice of material for storage.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Engineering Study of Svante’s Solid Sorbent Post-Combustion CO 2 Capture Technology at a Linde Steam Methane Reforming H 2 Plant

An initial engineering design study was performed for an advanced post combustion CO 2 capture (PCC) technology to be installed at a commercial-scale steam methane reforming (SMR) hydrogen plant located in the US Gulf Coast. The PCC process integrated the VeloxoTherm™ structured adsorbent technology from Svante for the CO 2 separation and CO 2 compression and purification and balance of plant systems provided by Linde. This pre-FEED equivalent study included following: (1) design basis, (2) basic engineering, including development of process flow diagrams and heat & material balances, (3) inside the battery limit (ISBL) equipment and systems specification, (4) balance of plant outside the battery limit (OSBL) equipment and systems specifications, (5) technology maturation plan, (6) hazard identification (HAZID) review, (7) environmental, health and safety (EH&S) assessment and environmental permitting analysis, (8) constructability review, (9) ISBL and OSBL EPC cost estimation, and (10) commercial-scale techno-economic analysis including capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenditures (OPEX) and CO 2 capture cost estimates.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Reversible Phase Transitions Enable Cyclic Isothermal CO 2 Capture in Redox‐Activated Perovskite‐Structured Sorbents

Sorption‐enhanced steam reforming and gasification using CO 2 sorbents enable the production of H 2 ‐rich syngas from carbonaceous feedstocks but are limited by significant temperature swings and sintering‐induced activity loss. Perovskite‐structured oxides are presented herein as sintering‐resistant, redox‐activated isothermal CO 2 sorbents capable of overcoming these challenges by releasing lattice oxygen to partially oxidize the carbonaceous feedstock while capturing CO 2 , shifting equilibrium toward H 2 production. Building on this, the structural and thermodynamic impact of Fe doping on the CO 2 sorption properties of SrMn 1‐ x Fe x O 3‐ δ is investigated for sorption‐enhanced reforming. Experimental results demonstrate that these sorbents enable isothermal production of high‐quality, H 2 ‐enriched syngas from carbonaceous feedstocks. Laboratory and synchrotron‐based powder X‐ray diffraction analyses, coupled with density functional theory calculations, reveal the structural dynamics and energy landscape of the SrMn 1‐ x Fe x O 3‐ δ perovskite system under reaction conditions, elucidating the solid‐state reaction pathway and the effect of Fe doping on the extent of carbonation.

CO2 capture↗

Porosity and hydrophilicity modulated quaternary ammonium-based sorbents for CO 2 capture

Quaternary ammonium (QA)-based polymeric sorbents are known to be effective for CO 2 capture, especially from ultradilute streams like air. In this work, we address two major challenges in QA sorbent design for application in moisture-swing processes, porosity control and hydrophilicity modulation. Facilely substituting porous CO 2 -active components for non-porous ones can enhance the sorption kinetics by 4-fold compared to the state-of-art, and micro–mesoporous structures are identified as optimal porous structures. A method to modulate the hydrophilicity of QA-based sorbents is developed using controlled radical polymerization, incorporating fluorine-containing monomers. The CO 2 sorption capacity and the tolerance towards moisture are simultaneously enhanced via adjustment of the structure and the content of fluorine-containing blocks. Finally, we postulate that porosity and hydrophilicity optimization can make QA-based sorbents adaptive to deployment of scalable moisture-swing processes in varied and complex atmospheric circumstances.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Development of a framework for sequential Bayesian design of experiments: Application to a pilot-scale solvent-based CO 2 capture process

In this paper, a methodology is developed for sequential design of experiments (SDoE) for process systems and applied to a solvent-based CO 2 capture system. In this approach, the prior knowledge of the system is used to prioritize process data collection at specific operating conditions. These data are then incorporated into a Bayesian inference methodology for updating a stochastic model by refining estimations of its underlying parameters, and the updated model is then used to generate the next set of test runs. Thus, the new knowledge obtained from the data is used to guide subsequent iterations of the experimental runs, ensuring that the overall data collection is maximally informative given that most experimental campaigns, especially at pilot or higher-scale plants, are costly, time-consuming, and resource-limited. The test run objective for this work was to minimize the maximum model prediction uncertainty for key output variables, but the methodology is generic and can be readily applied to other test run objectives. This methodology is applied to an aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) pilot plant campaign at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, Alabama, USA. The SDoE framework was utilized for two iterations, while collecting 18 sets of data representing different process conditions, and this resulted in an overall average reduction in uncertainty of approximately 50% in the prediction of CO 2 capture percentage. Moreover, 11 additional data sets were obtained with variation of absorber packing height for further model validation. This work shows the capability of the SDoE framework to maximize learning given limited resources, allowing for the reduction of model uncertainty, which is of great importance for many applications including reduction of technical risk associated with scale-up and economic analysis.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Techno-economic evaluation of emission control configurations for AMP/PZ-based post-combustion CO 2 capture

Minimizing the environmental impacts of amine-based post-combustion carbon capture technologies is essential for regulatory compliance and public acceptance. Experimental campaigns at RWE's CO 2 capture pilot plant in Niederaussem using CESAR1 demonstrated that combining existing emission abatement technologies can substantially reduce the concentration of amines and degradation products in the CO 2 -depleted flue gas to below the detection limit of an infrared spectrometer. The campaign confirmed that a proprietary dry bed technology (OEASE aerozone™) or a second water wash can reduce AMP and PZ emissions to below 1 mg/Nm 3 . However, an acid or chemically active wash downstream of the water wash is necessary to reduce NH 3 emissions to very low levels (<2 mg/Nm 3 ). Combining a dry bed with an acid wash significantly reduces both the required acid solution and the resulting acid waste. The techno-economic analysis indicates that implementing emission mitigation technologies provides substantial environmental benefits for the CESAR1 process, with only a marginal increase (<1 €/tCO 2 ) in both the carbon capture cost (CCC) and CO 2 avoidance cost (CAC). The additional capital cost associated with extra column packing is offset by operational cost savings from reduced solvent losses. For stringent emission permits targeting NH 3 , a configuration combining a dry bed upstream of the water wash followed by an acid wash achieves the best balance between emission control and cost efficiency. This configuration results in a Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of 143 €/MWh, a CCC of 45.4 €/tCO 2 , and a CAC of 88.4 €/tCO 2 .

AMP↗

Bench-scale Development of a Transformational Graphene Oxide-based Membrane Process for Post-combustion CO 2 Capture

Graphene-based materials, such as graphene and graphene oxide (GO), have been considered as next-generation membrane materials. GTI Energy and The State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) have been developing a transformational GO-based membrane process (designated as GO2) that integrates a high CO 2 /N 2 selectivity membrane (GO-1) and a high CO 2 flux membrane (GO-2) for post-combustion CO 2 capture. An innovative membrane structure, consisting of GO nanochannels intercalated by single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT), was developed. The membrane prepared on hollow fiber substrate showed CO 2 permeance as high as 1,300 GPU with CO 2 /N 2 selectivity >200. The membranes were successfully scaled up to effective area of 50-100 cm 2 . The 50-100 cm 2 membranes showed CO 2 /N 2 selectivity ≥200 and CO 2 permeance ≥1,000 GPU for the GO-1 type, and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity ≥20 and CO 2 permeance ≥2,500 GPU for the GO-2 type. The CO 2 capture performance of the GO-based membranes was tested using a simulated flue gas. The testing results indicate that the GO-based membranes are stable in the presence of flue gas contaminants. The GO-based membranes were then further scaled up to a surface area of 1,000 cm 2 . Good stability was achieved during an integrated testing with GO-1 and GO-2 membranes using simulated flue gas. A bench-scale system was designed, constructed, and tested at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). Good stability was achieved during testing of a single-stage process with >10 shutdowns/startups at NCCC. During the integrated testing, the membranes showed good stability at 50°C and 57°C. 70-90% CO 2 removal efficiencies and ≥95% CO 2 purity were validated during the steady state operation at NCCC. Techno-economic analysis indicates the GO2 membrane-based process technology provides a reduction in both the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and cost of capture when compared to the reference B12B case presented in the Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants Volume 1: Bituminous Coal and Natural Gas to Electricity study prepared by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), before considering any system optimization or improvement opportunities. The benefits are primarily driven by a reduction in the equipment costs of the CO 2 capture process vs. the solvent-based reference process in NETL Case B12B as well as a decrease in the base plant size.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Techno-economic prospects for producing Fischer-Tropsch jet fuel and electricity from lignite and woody biomass with CO 2 capture for EOR

This work explores the prospective techno-economic performance of facilities that produce low- and net-negative-carbon liquid transportation fuels and electricity with CO 2 capture for enhanced oil recovery. The lignite and biomass-to-jet fuel process is based on KBR’s TRIG gasifier, Rectisol (for sulfur removal and CO 2 capture), fixed-bed low temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of liquid fuels, and Brayton/Rankine combined cycles to convert synthesis/refining off-gases and waste heat to electricity. This work leverages a recent, highly-detailed assessment of a prospective first-of-a-kind (FOAK) demonstration facility to develop highly detailed Aspen Plus process simulations for nine prospective N th -of-a-kind (NOAK) plant equipment configurations. Component-level capital costs from the FOAK study are scaled and adjusted to reflective prospective learning-by-doing to estimate capital costs for the NOAK designs. NOAK plant economic performance is found to be largely insensitive to variations in plant configurations and electricity output fraction, but biomass input fraction significantly affects profitability. Facilities that consume only carbon–neutral biomass, with no lignite co-feed, have significantly net-negative carbon emissions and the most favorable prospective economics when carbon emissions are priced. For these facilities, the crude oil price required for plant economic viability falls rapidly from $\$$100/bbl as carbon emission prices increase above $\$$120/tonne CO 2eq . In general, plants that co-fire lignite with biomass are less profitable (than 100% biomass plants) due to their higher net greenhouse gas emissions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Encapsulation of Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials within Electrospun Hydrophobic Polymer/Ceramic Fibers for Enhanced CO 2 Capture

Liquid-like nanoparticle organic hybrid materials (NOHMs) consisting of a silica core with ionically grafted branched polyethyleneimine chains (referred to as NIPEI) are encapsulated within submicron-scale polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polymer-derived-ceramic electrospun fibers. The addition of a room-temperature curable, liquid-phase organopolysilazane (OPSZ) ceramic precursor to the PAN/NOHM solution enhances the internal dispersion of NOHMs and forms a thin ceramic sheath layer on the fiber exterior, shielding the hydrophilic NIPEI to produce near-superhydrophobic non-woven fiber mats with contact angles exceeding 140°. 60:40 loadings of NOHMs to PAN/OPSZ can be reliably achieved with low OPSZ percentages required, and up to 4:1 NOHM:polymer loadings are possible before losing hydrophobicity. These fibers demonstrate up to ≈2 mmol CO 2 g -1 fiber capture capacities in a pure CO 2 atmosphere through the nonwoven fibrous networks and the permeability of the OPSZ shell. In conclusion, the hybrid fibers additionally show enhanced capture kinetics under pure CO 2 and 400 ppm CO 2 conditions, indicating their promising application as a direct air capture platform.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fabrication of yeast engineered porous 13X adsorbent layers for CO 2 capture

This study investigates a novel environmentally friendly coating technique using yeast fermentation to obtain super porous Zeolite 13X adsorbent layers through freeze-drying technique for CO 2 capture applications. Several mass ratios of sugar to yeast were used to control the porosity and pore sizes in the adsorbent layer. A unique peeling process was integrated to obtain foamy, hollow structures to have deeper layer accessibility of adsorbent for adsorption applications. These coated adsorbent layers were experimentally characterized as a function of the mass ratio of sugar to yeast and adsorbent solid fraction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) are used to analyze the coated layers. Here, the void fraction for coated samples is found to vary between 0.48 and 0.56, making the samples applicable for adsorption applications. Adsorption performance experiments are performed to test the coated samples' performance compared to 13X powder. Due to their simplistic fabrication, cost-effectiveness, rapid pore formation, and high adsorption capacity, these porous 13X layers hold potential for large-scale fabrication and CO 2 capture applications.

Adsorbent coating↗

An ab initio free energy study of the reaction mechanism and rate-limiting steps of CO 2 capture by aqueous glycine

Aqueous amino acids are promising absorbents for direct air capture (DAC) of CO 2 . Herein, we investigate the possibility of kinetic control of CO 2 absorption with aqueous anionic glycine (GLY - ) by employing extensive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, free energy analysis, and reaction rate theory. We find that first GLY - binds to CO 2 by overcoming a barrier (7.4 kcal/mol) to form a zwitterion intermediate, which then releases a proton by overcoming a similar barrier. Despite the similarity in the barrier, zwitterion formation appears to be the rate-limiting step because it is two orders of magnitude slower (microseconds) than the proton release step. This is predominantly due to stronger nonequilibrium solvent effects for the former that cause many barrier-recrossing events and effectively slow down the reaction rate. Such a detailed fundamental understanding of the amino acid-based CO 2 -absorption mechanism and rates is key to improving the kinetic efficiency of DAC technology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Optimal Design and Operation of Intensified Absorbers with 3D-Printed Packing for Solvent-Based CO 2 Capture

Many potential solvent-based carbon capture processes suffer from a high heat of absorption of CO 2 that adversely affects the thermodynamic driving force. While interstage coolers are often used for removing a portion of the generated heat by removing the solvent or a portion of the solvent from a stage and cooling and returning it back to the absorber, they can be placed only at discrete locations in the tower. This work investigates intensified absorbers with 3D-printed packing that includes an internal cooler and therefore can be potentially used for maximizing the operational efficiency of the absorbers for CO 2 capture. The intensified absorber is modeled by using a generic, first-principles, equation-oriented absorber column model. Since the placement of these intensified packings would cause a loss of area/volume used for mass transfer, optimization of the proposed intensified absorber is performed by optimally selecting the locations at which to place these devices and designing them such that the trade-off due to the addition of the heat removal area and the resulting loss in the mass transfer area is accounted for. Results show that optimally placed and designed intensified packings can lead to a significant increase in the capture efficiency of the process in comparison to a similar column with no internal cooling. It is also observed that by optimally placing and designing intensified packings, the lean solvent flow rate to the absorber can be decreased, and the CO 2 lean loading can be increased while still maintaining the same capture efficiency. These process changes can lead to a substantial reduction in the cost of capture.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Initial Engineering Design of a Post-Combustion CO 2 Capture (PCC) System for Duke Energy’s East Bend Station Using Membrane-Based Technology

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) led a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded study for a membrane-based post-combustion CO 2 capture (PCC) system retrofit to an existing U.S. coal power plant. EPRI teamed with technology suppliers, Membrane Technology and Research (MTR), engineering consultants Nexant, Trimeric Corporation and Bechtel Power Corporation, to develop a first-of-a-kind initial design and cost estimate for a PCC system at Duke Energy’s East Bend Station (EBS) in Kentucky. This project provides a comprehensive overview of the plant design proposed and develops estimated costs to within +/- 30% accuracy for retrofitting the existing EBS coal-fired power plant with the latest MTR’s second-generation Polaris™ membrane technology for CO 2 flue gas removal. The projects primary objective was to develop a design for Duke Energy that will require “minimally invasive surgery” on their existing 600-MWe coal-fired power plant, located on the Ohio River in Boone County, Kentucky. Unlike the current commercially available solvent-based capture systems that require a reliable source of steam to operate, the MTR membrane-based capture system is driven primarily by electric power. This direct, bolt-on approach to retrofitting carbon capture could potentially reduce the impact on the existing power plant, by minimal disruption of the existing facility’s infrastructure and operating procedures. This may also reduce the amount of retrofit downtime before the power plant can resume normal operations. A second objective was to reduce the cost of each ton of captured CO 2 while maintaining the existing 600 MW net output of the East Bend Station. With this aim in mind, various options to provide the necessary auxiliary power for the capture system were evaluated for the site. The full report describes in detail the overall design, layout and components of the entire EBS membrane capture system. The equipment and sizes, the capital cost estimate encompassing both engineering design and construction for the carbon capture process and balance of plant systems is presented. A detailed techno-economic analysis is also undertaken to examine the business case for capture.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Targeted electrochemical reduction of carcinogenic N -nitrosamines from emission control systems within CO 2 capture plants

N-Nitrosamines are one of the environmentally significant byproducts from aqueous amine-based post-combustion carbon capture systems (CCS) due to their potential risk to human health. Safely mitigating nitrosamines before they are emitted from these CO 2 capture systems is therefore a key concern before widescale deployment of CCS can be used to address worldwide decarbonization goals. Electrochemical decomposition is one viable route to neutralize these harmful compounds. The circulating emission control waterwash system, commonly installed at the end of the flue gas treatment trains to minimize amine solvent emissions, plays an important role to capture N-nitrosamines and control their emission into the environment. The waterwash solution is the last point where these compounds can be properly neutralized before becoming an environmental hazard. In this study, the decomposition mechanisms of N-nitrosamines in a simulated CCS waterwash with residual alkanolamines was investigated using several laboratory-scale electrolyzers utilizing carbon xerogel (CX) electrodes. Hcell experiments revealed that N-nitrosamines were decomposed through a reduction reaction and are converted into their corresponding secondary amines thereby neutralizing their environmental impact. Batch-cell experiments statistically examined the kinetic models of N-nitrosamine removal by a combined adsorption and decomposition processes. The cathodic reduction of the N-nitrosamines statistically obeyed the first-order reaction model. Finally, a prototype flow-through reactor using an authentic waterwash was used to successfully target and decompose N-nitrosamines to below the detectable level without degrading the amine solvent compounds allowing them to be return to the CCS and lower the system operating costs. Furthermore, the developed electrolyzer was able to efficiently remove greater than 98% of N-nitrosamines from the waterwash solution without producing any additional environmentally harmful compounds and offers an effective and safe route to mitigate these compounds from CO 2 capture systems.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

CO 2 absorption intensification using three-dimensional printed dynamic polarity packing in a bench-scale integrated CO 2 capture system

Postcombustion carbon capture using a chemical absorbent is a promising technology to reduce CO 2 emission. However, the overall construction and operating costs remain a major challenge. In order to intensify the absorption process and to reduce these costs, a novel dynamic polarity structured packing (DP packing) with alternate patterns of surface polarity has been developed to enhance local macro-scale turbulence within the advanced viscous solvent to reduce the mass transfer diffusion resistance. Here, three DP structured packings that incorporate multiple polymeric materials were fabricated using three-dimensional printing technique and evaluated through parametric testing using a bench-scale integrated CO 2 capture unit with 76.2 mm ID absorber. At optimized operating conditions, the DP packing showed a relative 22.7% increase in absorption and 20.0% decrease in energy penalty.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Intermolecular Proton Transfer Enabled Reactive CO 2 Capture by the Malononitrile Anion

Task-specific ionic liquids (ILs) employing carbanions represent a new class of ILs for carbon capture. The deprotonated malononitrile carbanion, [CH(CN) 2 ] - , has shown close to equimolar capacity for reactive CO 2 capture. Although the formation of the [C(CN) 2 COOH] - carboxylic acid was found to be the final product, how the hydrogen atom on the [CH(CN) 2 ] - carbanion transfers to the carboxylate group as a proton has not been fully understood. In this work, we employ density functional theory calculations with an implicit solvation model to investigate the proton transfer mechanisms in forming carboxylic acid from the reaction of the [CH(CN) 2 ] - carbanion with CO 2 . We find that the intramolecular proton-transfer pathway in [CH(CN) 2 COO] - to form [C(CN) 2 COOH] - is unlikely due to the high energy barrier of 152 kJ/mol. Instead, the intermolecular proton transfer pathway between two [CH(CN) 2 COO] - anions is more feasible to form two molecules of [C(CN) 2 COOH] - , with a significantly lower activation energy of 50 kJ/mol. Moreover, the [C(CN) 2 COOH] - dimer is further stabilized by the intermolecular hydrogen bonds of the two –COOH groups in the Z-configuration of the π-conjugated planar geometry. This insight of reactive CO 2 capture enabled by intermolecular proton transfer will be useful in designing novel carbanions and ILs for carbon capture and conversion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Encapsulation of highly viscous CO 2 capture solvents for enhanced capture kinetics: Modeling investigation of mass transfer mechanisms

The encapsulation of highly viscous liquid-like Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) inside a gas permeable polymer to form SIPs (Solvent Impregnated Polymers) significantly enhanced the CO 2 capture kinetics of NOHMs, leading to a remarkable 50-fold increase in CO 2 flux compared to the neat NOHMs. To understand the mechanism for enhanced CO 2 mass transfer within these hybrid materials, kinetic modeling of CO 2 uptake into SIPs containing polyethylenimine functionalized NOHMs, denoted NPEI-SIP, was conducted. CO 2 mass transfer into NPEI-SIP films was found to conform, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with a diffusion-controlled moving front model. The diffusion-controlled model was also used to simulate CO 2 uptake within a fixed bed containing polydisperse NPEI-SIP particles, and this model accurately predicted experimentally measured breakthrough curves at 25 °C and 50 °C. The 50-fold increase in gas flux was shown to be a consequence of the very large CO 2 permeability within the polymer–solvent composite. Furthermore, the increase in gas flux is also dependent on the diffusion–reaction regime in which the chemical solvent operates, and the largest improvement will occur when immobilizing solvents, such as NOHMs, which operate in the instantaneous-reaction regime. The CO 2 capacity (~3 mol CO 2 /kg) and saturation time (~5 min) of 430 μm SIP particles were comparable to popular CO 2 chemisorption materials such as amine grafted silicates, in spite of the slow kinetics of NOHM-I-PEI in liquid form (CO 2 saturation time ~24 h for a 1 mm thin film).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗