Novel Liquid Sorbents for CO2 Capture from Coal-Fired Power Plants "Advanced Separation and Capture Techniques for CO2 Produced by Existing Coal-Fired Power Plants

The world-wide demand for power is increasing while petroleum feed stocks are rapidly being depleted. Although known coal reserves could satisfy the world¿s energy demands for the next 60 years, coal is also a large producer of CO2, and its use could result in increased climate change. While amine-based CO2 capture techniques have shown promise, the energy needed to regenerate the solvent increases the thermal input requirement of the power plant by about 40%. This project will develop a novel CO2 scrubbing solution that has a high capacity for CO2 but requires little or no thermal energy for desorption. Overall, this process could capture 90% of the CO2 in the effluent of a coal-fired power plant without increasing cost by more than 25%. In Phase I, laboratory-scale experiments will be carried out to size the scrubber and stripper, and characterize the loading under representative conditions. Phase II will optimize the process and construct a pilot scale demonstration rig that will be used on the slip stream of an operating power plant. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: A cost effective method for CO2 capture should find immediate commercial application in coal-fired power plants, particularly as more emphasis is placed on reducing CO2 emissions. The system should become the preferred technology for the 4,000 power generating plants that currently use coal.