Transformational Sorbent-Based Process for Direct Air Capture

Unlike CO2 capture plants at point sources, direct air capture plants can be sited very close to sequestration/end use sites and can take advantage of very low/negative power prices at certain times of the day due to the availability of renewables. These plants need to be part of the toolkit for reducing atmospheric CO2 levels as direct air capture is the only technology capable of reducing the levels of CO2 already present in the atmosphere. The overall goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of InnoSepra’s adsorption-based CO2 capture technology for direct air capture with the potential for a significantly lower capital cost and parasitic power compared to other systems. This is complementary to DOE’s program goals for CO2 capture from fossil fuel power plants. Another goal of the program is to develop commercial relationships to enable rapid technology commercialization after the conclusion of Phase I and a potential Phase II project. InnoSepra has identified materials that have very good CO2 capacities (>3-wt%) even at CO2 concentrations as low as 400-ppm. This enables significantly lower capital and power for Direct Air Capture compared to other processes. During the project, InnoSepra will develop and evaluate a number of material/process combinations at lab and semi-bench scale to assess their effectiveness for direct air capture under different process conditions. Through process simulation and a techno-economic analysis, InnoSepra will also demonstrate that the process can lead to a significantly lower cost process compared to state of the art processes (a cost of <$150/tonne with the potential for a capture cost below $100/tonne through use of low cost electrical power and/or heat from renewable or non-renewable sources). If this technology is successfully developed, it can have an important role in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels. If the process is sited at a power plant, it can allow production of electrical power in a cost-effective manner using cheap and abundant coal and natural gas with little or no greenhouse gas emissions. If the captured CO2 is used for enhanced oil recovery, it can provide another revenue stream for the power plant.