Alkyl amine and vegetable oil mixture-a viable candidate for CO₂ capture and utilization

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Aqueous alkyl amine solutions are widely used for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture but suffer from drawbacks like volatility and degradation.
• Developing sustainable and efficient CO2 capture technologies is crucial for mitigating climate change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the CO2 absorption capacity of alkyl amines mixed with vegetable oil.
• To explore the conversion of captured CO2 into value-added products using this novel system.
• To compare the performance of this system against traditional aqueous amine-based CO2 capture.

Main Methods:

• CO2 absorption experiments were conducted using mixtures of alkyl amines and various vegetable oils.
• Captured CO2 was converted into carbamate products.
• Products were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
• The recyclability of the vegetable oil medium was assessed over multiple cycles.

Main Results:

• Alkyl amine and vegetable oil mixtures demonstrated higher CO2 absorption than aqueous alkyl amines.
• Captured CO2 was successfully converted into carbamate precipitates of ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, and triethylenetetramine.
• Triethylenetetramine in coconut oil achieved a maximum CO2 capture capacity of 72%.
• Coconut oil was recovered and reused for three cycles without significant loss of efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The proposed alkyl amine-vegetable oil system offers a promising, greener alternative to aqueous amine-based CO2 capture.
• This method effectively captures CO2 and converts it into valuable products, addressing both capture and utilization challenges.
• The recyclability of vegetable oil enhances the economic and environmental viability of the process.