A HIGH EFFICIENCY ELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEM FOR THE REMOVAL AND CONCENTRATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE FROM FLUE GAS

CONTROL OF CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) EMISSIONS FROM THE COMBUSTION OF FOSSIL FUELS MAY BECOME NECESSARY TO MINIMIZE GLOBAL WARMING PRODUCED BY THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT. SEPARATION OF CO2 FROM FLUE GASES WILL INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY AND LOWER THE COST OF PROCESSES TO FIX CO2 CHEMICALLY OR OTHERWISE PREVENT ITS DISCHARGE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. SUCH A CO2 TRANSPORT SYSTEM MUST OPERATE AT HIGH EFFICIENCY TO MINIMIZE THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND COST OF REDUCING CO2 EMISSIONS. PHASE I OF THIS RESEARCH IS INVESTIGATING A NOVEL SYSTEM FOR THE REMOVAL OF CO2 FROM THE FLUE GAS OF COAL-FIRED POWERPLANTS. PREVIOUS WORK HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT REVERSIBLE ELECTROCHEMICAL SEPARATION SYSTEMS ARE POTENTIALLY SIMPLER AND MORE EFFICIENT THAN OTHER APPROACHES. A CRITICAL PART OF THIS SYSTEM IS A CARRIER MOLECULE THAT CAN REVERSIBLY BIND AND RELEASE CO2. UNFORTUNATELY, NO CARRIER THAT CAN BOTH REVERSIBLY BIND CO2 AND RESIST DEGRADATION BY OXYGEN HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED. THE INNOVATION TO BE STUDIED IN THIS RESEARCH IS A NEW CLASS OF CARRIERS THAT IS EXPECTED TO BE MORE STABLE AND MORE REVERSIBLE THAN THOSE PREVIOUSLY EXAMINED. PHASE I RESEARCH IS TESTING MEMBERS OF THIS NEW CLASS OF CARRIERS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY ARE EFFECTIVE IN ELECTROCHEMICALLY TRANSPORTING CO2. PHASE II WILL TEST THE DURABILITY OF THE NEW CARRIERS AND WILL DESIGN, CONSTRUCT, AND TEST A PROTOTYPE ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESS FOR CO2 REMOVAL.