New Process Concepts for CO2 Capture based on Precipitating Amino Acids

AbstractThis work summarises the results of the design of novel separation processes for CO2 removal from flue gas based on precipitating amino acid solvents. The processes here described (DECAB, DECAB Plus and pH-swing) use a combination of enhanced CO2 absorption (based on the Le Chatelier's principle) and / or enhanced CO2 desorption (based on pH-shift), which contribute substantially to the reduction of regeneration energy. An evaluation of these processes has been developed based on literature data, thermodynamic principles and experimental data. As solvent example, the potassium salt of taurine was selected. The results show that these processes are environmentally friendly (no emissions to the air, lower ecotoxicity) and have lower energy consumption than conventional MEA. The DECAB Plus process has been identified as the option with lower energy consumption (66% of conventional MEA- ie ca 2.4 GJ/t CO2). This study has established the potential of precipitating amino acids as an energy effective alternative to alkanol amines. The future work will focus on determining the cost of CO2 avoidance and investigating other solvents that will further lead to benefits over conventional processes