Characteristics of Carbonate Formation from Concentrated Seawater Using CO₂ Chemical Absorption Methodology

Carbon capture and storage is a popular CO₂-reduction technology, and carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology has been reported frequently over the years. However, CCU has certain disadvantages, including the requirement of high energy consumption processes such as mineral carbonation. In addition, stable metal sources are required to fix CO₂. This study used concentrated seawater to supply metal ions. In addition, the selected 5 wt % amine solution changed CO₂ into aqueous CO₂ to reduce the additional energy required to form the metal carbonate under moderate conditions. As a result, precipitates were formed because of the reaction of carbonate radicals with metal ions in the seawater. These precipitates were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and they were found to mostly consist of CaCO₃ and NaCl. Furthermore, it was verified that the conversion solution maintained its CO₂-loading capacity even after the solids and liquid were filtered twice. Therefore, the proposed method permits a substantial reuse of CO₂ and waste seawater when sufficient metal ions are supplied. Therefore, methods to improve their purity will be developed in future studies.