Materials challenges in carbon-mitigation technologies

Abstract

Given the increasing size of CO 2 -generating industries and the mounting awareness of their environmental impact, carbon-management technologies are expected to play an important role in curtailing environmental emissions in coming years. A major challenge in carbon management is the development of cost-effective, technologically compatible, and effi cient CO 2 capture and storage technologies. The development of energy-effi cient solvent, solid-sorbent, and membrane materials to capture CO 2 from industrial exhaust streams can take improvements in process effi ciency one step further. Also, the permanent storage of CO 2 in geologic formations is critical to the success of carbon-management technologies and requires better understanding of interactions of CO 2 with underground materials. These and other materials challenges must be solved to make carbon capture and storage an economically viable and reliable technology to be adopted by the power and product manufacturing industries.

A reference high-pressure CO2 adsorption isotherm for ammonium ZSM-5 zeolite: results of an interlaboratory study

“…Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) was selected as the adsorptive because of its importance in gas storage and separation applications, its thermophysical properties near ambient temperature would provide an extra test of experimental procedures, and it is a gas that most labs would be equipped to handle. Also, high-pressure CO 2 adsorption on nanoporous materials, such as activated carbon, coal, shales, zeolites, MOFs, and mesoporous silica, has been previously studied for carbon capture and sequestration due to concern over its impact on the climate (Humayun and Tomasko 2000 ; Gao et al 2004 ; Moellmer et al 2010 ; Rother et al 2012 ; Gensterblum et al 2010 ; Goodman et al 2004 ; Gasparik et al 2014 ; Choi et al 2009 ; Sumida et al 2012 ; Espinal and Morreale 2012 ; Espinal et al 2013 ; Bae and Snurr 2011 ; Lin et al 2012 ). Reliable measurements of high-pressure CO 2 adsorption isotherms are therefore helpful for developing design principles for new and improved solid adsorbents.…”

Flexible metal-organic framework compounds: In situ studies for selective CO2 capture

“…The effects of different structural phases transforming among themselves during adsorption and desorption also should not be neglected. In this connection, we note that the four neutron diffraction patterns occurring for NiBpene CO 2 desorption at 258 K, 1, 2, 3 and 4, shown inFigure 5, appear to represent three distinct structural phases occurring during desorption at 5 bar CO 2 (1), 1 bar CO 2(3), and under vacuum, with the diffraction patterns at 1.5 bar CO 2 (2) and 0.5 bar CO 2(4) indicating mixed phases. The transformations occur at higher desorption pressures at 303 K. Oncomparing Figure 1a and Figure 5b the corresponding CO 2 desorption pressures at 303 K would be: (1) 15 bar, (2) 9 bar, (3) 6 bar, and (4) 4 bar.…”

“…Indeed, the low cost capture of carbon dioxide from coal or natural gas fired electrical power generation, through the use of adsorption-based separations and multi-scale porous solid sorbent materials, could significantly reduce net carbon emissions from stationary sources. [1][2][3][4] In this context, the emergence of new solid sorbent compounds is of particular importance. Presently available solid sorbent materials do not have sufficient carbon capture efficiency and selectivity, adsorption/desorption cycle life, or cost-effective scale-up potential.…”

Density functional theory meta-GGA + U study of water incorporation in the metal-organic framework material Cu-BTC

“…[14] The last fact likely prevents the use of Cu-BTC as a material for post-combustion carbon capture, as flue gases in coal-burning plants contain significant water vapor. [18] In some MOFs, water can even break down the structure completely. [19] In spite of the importance of the highly-hydrated state of Cu-BTC for its performance, little is known about the structure of water in this state.…”