Experimental Study on Postcombustion Systems Including a Hollow Fiber Membrane and a Packed Column

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Postcombustion carbon capture is crucial for reducing CO2 emissions.
• Membrane separation and chemical absorption are key technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate lab-scale carbon capture performance of various mono-/two-stage methods.
• To compare CO2 separation efficiency, purity, and energy requirements.

Main Methods:

• Investigated four carbon capture configurations: single-stage membrane (Memb), single-stage chemical absorption (Chem), two-stage membrane (Memb-Memb), and hybrid membrane-chemical absorption (Memb-Chem).
• Assessed CO2 removal efficiency, CO2 purity, gas recovery, and regeneration heat.

Main Results:

• Single-stage membrane (Memb) showed good removal but low purity.
• Single-stage chemical absorption (Chem) achieved >95% removal and purity but required significant regeneration heat (≥2.7 MJ/t CO2).
• Two-stage membrane (Memb-Memb) enhanced purity by 46.2% and recovery >99.0% compared to Memb.
• Memb-Chem offered a potential solution for mass transfer and flow distribution issues.

Conclusions:

• Two-stage methods significantly improve CO2 purity and gas recovery.
• Hybrid Memb-Chem presents a promising alternative for efficient carbon capture.
• Optimizing capture processes is vital for effective postcombustion technology.