A Novel System for Extraction of Atmospheric CO2

The cost and availability of logistic fuels is becoming an important factor to the success of the military operations. There is also extra vulnerability rendered by the military"s dependence on this sole energy source for all operations. Hence, the army is interested in developing capability to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuel from dilute (~385 ppm) but vastly abundant CO2 and water in the atmosphere anywhere on the globe. The key challenge in such a technology is to recover CO2 and water available at ppmv level in air and provide them as concentrated streams that are needed for conversion to hydrocarbon fuels. TDA Research, Inc. proposes to develop a novel chemical sorbent-based solid-state compressor to collect and concentrate dilute atmospheric CO2 and H2O and use them as chemical feedstock to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuels. In Phase I, we developed a viable sorbent and demonstrated its efficacy in removing CO2 and H2O from ambient air. In Phase II, we will develop a sub-scale prototype system to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the concept and perform many absorption and regeneration cycles (at a minimum 1,000 cycles) to identify the chemical life and mechanical durability of the sorbent. Based on experimental results, we will carry out a conceptual design of an atmospheric CO2- and H2O-based synthetic fuel plant (5,000 bbl/day capacity).