CO₂ Absorption/Desorption in Aqueous Single and Novel Hybrid Solvents of Glycerol and Monoethanolamine in a Pilot-Scale Packed Bed Column

Abstract

CO 2 removal from mixed CO 2 -N 2 gas was investigated by using aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA) (10 wt%), glycerol (10 wt%), and a mixture of MEA (10 wt%)glycerol (10 wt%) in a pilot-scale packed column. Aspen Plus simulator was employed to simulate the CO 2 -MEA-glycerol process using a rate-based model. Then, the experimental data of pilot-scale columns were applied to validate the simulation results. The lowest and highest rich CO 2 loadings for the MEA solvent were measured in 3.65% and 13.9% mol CO 2 /mol MEA with 1.4 and 3.9 L/min gas flow rates, respectively. In comparison to CO 2 -MEA system, the lowest and highest rich CO 2 loadings for CO 2 -MEA-glycerol system increased by 42.2% and 14.8%, respectively under the same conditions. The values of CO 2 loadings predicted by the simulation were in concordance with the experimental values. Results suggested that the hybrid MEA-glycerol solution had better CO 2 absorption performance than the aqueous MEA solution.

Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Capture Using a Mixed Amino Acid Salt Solution

“…MEA, the most popular alkanolamine for CO 2 absorption, has been intensively investigated in the past decades because of its high reactivity and capacity to absorb CO 2 from a range of concentrations, 10–15 vol %, which is typical in flue gases emitted from power plants. − For instance, the absorption of CO 2 from a 10 vol % CO 2 containing flue gas using a 0.52 molar MEA solution resulted in 0.75–0.76 mol of CO 2 captured per mol of amine at 297.5 K . However, regeneration of MEA is an energy-intensive step during the CO 2 absorption and desorption processes (4 GJ/ton of CO 2 released) .…”

The Ratio of Chemical and Physical CO2 Absorption Capacity in Triethanolamine and Methyl-diethanolamine Solution Systems

“…Recently, in response to climate change, researchers have reported on many carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies intended for practical use. − Among them, the chemical absorption process using amine-based solutions as the solvent has been commercialized due to its advantages such as its relatively high economic feasibility and fast reaction rate. − Monoethanolamine (MEA), one of the primary amines, reacts directly with CO 2 to generate protonated amine and carbamate ions, and it is currently considered to be the most optimum solvent for chemical absorption because of its high absorption rate and low solvent price; therefore, several CCS plants employing MEA as the solvent have been commercially operated in the USA, Canada, and China. − However, MEA aqueous systems can still be improved upon; for example, they can be made more economical by improving their utilization limit (lower than 0.5 mol of CO 2 /mol of MEA in a high-concentration solution) and substantial energy consumption for solvent regeneration. Therefore, some MEA–organic solvent (water-free or water-lean) systems using monoethylene glycol, methanol, acetone, and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol as the organics are an alternative to enhance the amine utilization increasing the physical absorption capacity of the systems. − …”

Mass transfer coefficients of carbon dioxide in aqueous blends of monoethanolamine and glycerol using wetted-wall column

“…Among the research to find a new solvent for CO2 capture, glycerol has recently been developed as an alternative CO2 absorption solvent. It is more convenient and cheaper than ILs and DES while having promising properties [12,13]. With regard to environmental efforts, the biodiesel industry has made significant progress, and by-products, such as glycerol generated during biodiesel production [14].…”