Three-Dimensional Printable Sodium Carbonate Composite Sorbents for Efficient Biogas Upgrading

Abstract

We have developed a new class of sodium carbonate/silicone composite sorbents that selectively capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and can purify biogas to natural gas pipeline-quality biomethane. These nontoxic composites can be three-dimensionally printed or extruded at low costs, can have high specific CO2 sorption rates (in excess of 5 μmol s–1 g–1 bar–1) and high selectivity due to their chemical mechanism, and can be regenerated with low-energy air stripping. Therefore, these composite sorbents combine the high selectivity of liquid sorbents with the high specific sorption rates and low regeneration energies found in many solid sorbents. We characterized these composite sorbents with X-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, we measured composite sorption capacities of up to 0.62 mol CO2 kg–1 and recorded breakthrough curves in a flow-through, fixed-bed reactor using both simulated biogas and locally sourced industrial biogas. Additional tests of the composite sorbent were carried out with pure CO2 in a sealed pressure drop apparatus. This experimental data was used to validate a numerical model of the setup and to simulate an industrial-scale biogas upgrading process. Finally, we performed a preliminary technoeconomic analysis for this upgrading process and found that this composite sorbent can upgrade biogas at a lower cost (∼$0.97 per GJ) than other currently implemented techniques.

Biogas Upgrading via Cyclic CO2 Adsorption: Application of Highly Regenerable PEI@nano-Al2O3 Adsorbents with Anti-Urea Properties

“…However, the excessive CO 2 content reduces the biogas calorific value and limits its practical application in electricity generation, residential natural gas networks, and vehicle fuel . Therefore, biogas upgrading to biomethane (85–95 vol % CH 4 ) via a cyclic CO 2 adsorption process has been widely recognized for high-value biogas recycling and CO 2 emission reduction. , …”

“…13 Therefore, biogas upgrading to biomethane (85−95 vol % CH 4 ) via a cyclic CO 2 adsorption process has been widely recognized for high-value biogas recycling and CO 2 emission reduction. 14,15 Biogas upgrading techniques generally include adsorption (physical and chemical), membrane separation, and cryogenicity. 11,16 Recently, solid amine adsorption technology has attracted wide attention due to its low energy consumption, low equipment cost, and high selectivity.…”

Additive manufacturing for adsorption‐related applications—A review

“…Nowadays, 3D printing techniques are being increasingly used in the most diverse areas, [ 9,67–148 ] including the adsorption‐related area. [ 2,149–174 ] Indeed, recently Lawson, Li, Thakkar, Rownaghi, Rezaei [ 175 ] made a review of structured adsorbent and catalytic materials produced by 3D printing. Using the Scopus platform, [ 176 ] it is possible to observe that the number of documents related to 3D printing has been increasing in the past few years.…”

Data‐Driven Analysis of Amine‐Based Sorbents for CO2 Removal from the Atmosphere

“…), and especially the relative techno-economics. For instance, inorganic-based sorbents such as zeolites and alkaline metals have been extensively explored for this purpose [9][10][11]. Due to their higher interaction with CO 2 as a weak acid, basic zeolites such as X and Y benefit from high surface area and more tendency towards CO 2 capture, as opposed to acidic zeolites such as ZSM5 and Beta [10,12].…”