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Steam-Stable Basic Immobilized Amine Sorbent Pellets for CO2 Capture Under Practical Conditions
Walter Christopher Wilfong1,2, Brian W Kail1,2, Bret H Howard1
1National Energy Technology Laboratory , 626 Cochrans Mill Road, P.O. Box 10940 , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15236-0940 , USA.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|September 24, 2019
Summary
Researchers developed improved pellets for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture using amine-functionalized materials. Method (ii-b) demonstrated superior CO2 sorbent pellet performance and stability for practical applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Pelletization of basic immobilized amine sorbent (BIAS) particles is crucial for enhancing mechanical strength and enabling practical CO2 capture in reactors.
- Existing methods require improvement for stability and efficiency in dynamic CO2 capture scenarios.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate amine-functionalized pellets for efficient CO2 capture.
- To compare two pellet preparation methods (ii-a and ii-b) for performance and stability.
- To investigate the mechanism behind superior pellet formation and long-term CO2 capture capacity.
Main Methods:
- Two pelletization methods were employed: (ii-a) combining latex polychloroprene/polyamine with fly ash/BIAS, and (ii-b) shaping and functionalizing pellet supports with polyethylenimine (PEI) or ethylenamine and a cross-linker (E3).
- Pellets were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis for CO2 capture, accelerated water washing for H2O stability, and crush/ball-mill testing for mechanical strength.
- Mechanism elucidation involved N2 physisorption, FTIR, and SEM.
Main Results:
- Method (ii-b) yielded superior pellets, demonstrating excellent CO2 capture stability (1.5 mmol CO2/g) after 48h steam exposure.
- Optimal pellets (E3/PEI800-0.13/1) showed minimal capacity loss (14.6%) after 75h of cycling and steam treatment.
- Incorporating K2CO3 as an antioxidant mitigated slight oxidative degradation.
Conclusions:
- Amine-functionalized pellets prepared via method (ii-b) exhibit robust physiochemical properties, making them suitable for CO2 capture.
- The developed pellets show high stability and capacity, confirming their potential for pilot-scale CO2 capture applications.
- Method (ii-b) offers a promising route for creating durable and effective sorbent materials for carbon capture.
