Particulate Formation from a Copper Oxide-Based Oxygen Carrier in Chemical Looping Combustion for CO₂ Capture

Attrition behavior and particle loss of a copper oxide-based oxygen carrier from a methane chemical looping combustion (CLC) process was investigated in a fluidized bed reactor. The aerodynamic diameters of most elutriated particulates, after passing through a horizontal settling duct, range between 2 and 5 microm. A notable number of submicrometer particulates are also identified. Oxygen carrier attrition was observed to lead to increased CuO loss resulting from the chemical looping reactions, i.e., Cu is enriched in small particles generated primarily from fragmentation in the size range of 10-75 microm. Cyclic reduction and oxidation reactions in CLC have been determined to weaken the oxygen carrier particles, resulting in increased particulate emission rates when compared to those of oxygen carriers without redox reactions. The generation rate for particulates <10 microm was found to decrease with progressive cycles over as-prepared oxygen carrier particles and then reach a steady state. The surface of the oxygen carrier is also found to be coarsened due to a Kirkendall effect, which also explains the enrichment of Cu on particle surfaces and in small particles.