Lime-based sorbents for high-temperature CO2 capture--a review of sorbent modification methods

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Global warming and climate change necessitate cost-effective carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technologies.
• Lime-based looping cycles offer a promising approach for CO2 mitigation using abundant natural materials.
• Current lime-based sorbent performance in fluidized bed combustion (FBC) reactors is limited by activity loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review research on CO2 capture using lime-based looping cycles.
• To identify and analyze limitations in current sorbent performance.
• To explore potential solutions for enhancing sorbent durability and activity.

Main Methods:

• Review of research conducted at CanmetENERGY laboratories on lime-based looping cycles.
• Analysis of sorbent limitations including sintering, attrition, and elutriation.
• Evaluation of potential sorbent improvement strategies.

Main Results:

• Lime-based sorbents are cost-effective but suffer from rapid activity loss in FBC reactors.
• Sintering, attrition, and elutriation are key factors contributing to performance degradation.
• Several promising methods exist to enhance sorbent stability and CO2 capture efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Reactivation by steam/water, thermal pre-treatment, and doping show potential for sorbent improvement.
• Sorbent reforming and pelletization are also identified as beneficial strategies.
• Further research on sorbent performance is critical for the practical application of lime-based CO2 capture technology.