Absorption of CO2 by aqueous triethanolamine (TEA) solutions in a high shear jet absorber

CO₂ diluted with N₂ was absorbed by aqueous triethanolamine (TEA) solutions in a jet absorber consisting of a high pressure stainless steel vessel with a pressure nozzle at the top. The gas mixture and the aqueous solution were passed simultaneously, through the pressure nozzle into the absorber. Due to the high shear imparted to the liquid very fine droplets were produced, which resulted in a very high interfacial area and rapid mass transfer. CO₂ was absorbed rapidly by the TEA solution. The effects of gas and liquid flow rates, solution concentration and CO₂ partial pressure on CO₂ loading per unit mole of TEA and the overall mass transfer coefficient were examined. CO₂ loading per mole of TEA increased with gas flow rate and decreased with liquid flow rate and solution concentration. The overall mass transfer coefficient was found to increase with gas and liquid flow rates. Both the CO₂ removal per mole of TEA and the overall mass transfer coefficient were found to be a strong function of power dissipated at the nozzle.     

Parametric studies of carbon dioxide absorption into highly concentrated monoethanolamine solutions

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorption into highly concentrated solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA) was studied. The effect of operating parameters on the overall mass transfer coefficient (K_Ga_v) was determined in a pilot‐plant scale absorption unit. The (K_Ga_v) increased at low solution concentrations, decreased at intermediate concentrations, and increased as the concentration became high (54 wt%). The (K_Ga_v) increased with an increasing liquid flow rate, decreased with an increase in either the CO₂ loading or the CO₂ partial pressure, and was not affected by the inert gas flow rate. Finally, structured 4A Gempak packing produced (K_Ga_v) values twice as high as randomly packed IMTP#15 or 16‐mm Pall Ring systems.     

Modeling of CO2 equilibrium solubility in a novel 1‐Diethylamino‐2‐Propanol Solvent

In this work, the equilibrium solubility of CO₂ in a 1‐diethylamino‐2‐propanol (1DEA2P) solution was determined as a function of 1DEA2P concentration (over the range of 1–2 M), temperature (in the range of 298–333 K), and CO₂ partial pressure (in the range of 8–101 kPa). These experimental results were used to fit the present correlation for K₂ (Kent‐Eisenberg model, Austgen model, and Li‐Shen model). It was found that all of the models could represent the CO₂ equilibrium solubility in 1DEA2P solution with ADDs for Kent‐Eisenberg model, Austgen model, and Li‐Shen model of 6.3, 7.3, and 12.2%, respectively. A new K₂ correlation model, the Liu‐Helei model, was also developed to predict the CO₂ equilibrium solubility in 1DEA2P solution with an excellent ADD of 3.4%. In addition, the heat of absorption of CO₂ in 1DEA2P solution estimated by using the Gibbs‐Helmholtz equation was found to be ?45.7 ± 3.7 kJ/mol. Information and guidelines about effectively using data for screened solvents is also provided based on the three absorption parameters: CO₂ equilibrium solubility, second order reaction constant (k₂), and CO₂ absorption heat. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4465–4475, 2017     

Design of a packed column for absorption of carbon dioxide in DEA promoted hot K2CO3 solution

The design procedure developed by Kumar and Rao¹⁰ for the design of a packed column in a natural gas based ammonia plant for absorption of carbon dioxide in hot K₂CO₃ solution promoted by arsenious acid is extended to the DEA promoted hot K₂CO₃ system. The recently published kinetics of Tseng, Ho and Savage¹⁶ for the DEA promoted absorption of CO₂ in hot K₂CO₃ solution was used to calculate the height of packed bed required to remove CO₂ up to 1000 ppm. This was found to be equal to 10.5 m, corresponding to a set of operating conditions typical of a split flow absorber.     

Comparison of Overall Gas‐Phase Mass Transfer Coefficient for CO2 Absorption between Tertiary Amines in a Randomly Packed Column

The mass transfer performance of CO₂ absorption into an innovative tertiary amine solvent, 1‐dimethylamino‐2‐propanol (1DMA2P), was investigated and compared with that of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) in a packed column with random Dixon‐ring packing. All experiments were conducted under atmospheric pressure. The effects of inert gas flow rate, amine concentration, liquid flow rate, CO₂ loading, and liquid temperature on mass transfer performance were analyzed and the results presented in terms of the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficient (K_Ga_v). The experimental findings clearly indicate that 1DMA2P provided better mass transfer performance than MDEA. For both 1DMA2P and MDEA solutions, the K_Ga_v increased with rising amine concentration and liquid flow rate, but decreased with higher CO₂ loading. The inert gas flow rate only slightly affected the K_Ga_v. A satisfactory correlation of K_Ga_v was developed for the 1DMA2P‐CO₂ system.     

CO2 Capture Using Monoethanolamine in a Bubble‐Column Scrubber

A continuous bubble‐column scrubber, capturing CO₂ gas by monoethanolamine (MEA) solution in a pH‐stat operation, is used to search for optimum process parameters by means of the Taguchi method. The process variables are the pH of the solution, gas flow rate, concentration of CO₂ gas, and temperature. From the measured outlet CO₂ gas concentrations, the absorption rate and overall mass transfer coefficient can be determined with the support of a steady‐state material balance equation as well as a two‐film model. According to the signal‐to‐noise ratio, the significance sequence influencing the parameters and optimum conditions can be determined. CO₂ concentration and pH value proved to be decisive parameters, while temperature and gas flow rate were minor. Five sets of optimum conditions were obtained and could be further verified by empirical equations.     

Enhancing CO2 absorption efficiency using a novel PTFE hollow fiber membrane contactor at elevated pressure

The internal structure design of membrane module is very important for gas removal performance using membrane contactor via physical absorption. In this study, a novel membrane contactor developed by weaving polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hollow fibers was applied to remove CO₂ from 60% N₂ + 40% CO₂ mixture (with CO₂ concentration similar to that of biogas) at elevated pressure (0.8 MPa) using water as absorbent. Compared with the conventional module with randomly packed straight fibers, the module with woven PTFE fibers exhibited much better CO₂ absorption performance. The weaving configuration facilitated the meandering flow or Dean vortices and renewing speed of water around hollow fibers. Meanwhile, the undesired influences such as channeling and bypassing were also eliminated. Consequently, the mass transfer of liquid phase was greatly improved and the CO₂ removal efficiency was significantly enhanced. The effects of operation pressure, module arrangement, feed gas, and water flow rate on CO₂ removal were systematically investigated as well. The overall mass‐transfer coefficient (K_OV) varied from 1.96 × 10^?5 to 4.39 × 10^?5 m/s (the volumetric mass‐transfer coefficient K_La = 0.034–0.075 s^?1) under the experimental conditions. The CO₂ removal performance of novel woven fiber membrane contactor matched well with the simulation results. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 2135–2145, 2018     

Numerical simulation of the mass transfer process of CO2 absorption by different solutions in a microchannel

The flow and mass transfer characteristics of CO₂ absorption in different liquid phases in a microchannel were studied by numerical simulation. The mixture gas phase contained 5 vol% CO₂ and 95 vol% N₂ , and the different liquid phases were water, ethanol solution, 0.2 M monoethanolamine solution, and 0.2 M NaOH solution, respectively. Based on the permeation theory, the distribution of velocity and concentration in the slug flow was obtained by local simulation of flow and mass transfer coupling and was described in depth. The influence of contact time and bubble velocity on the mass transfer of the whole bubble was highlighted. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient on the bubble cap and liquid film, CO₂ absorption rate, and enhancement factor were calculated and analyzed. The results showed that the volumetric mass transfer coefficients of chemical absorption were ~3 to 10 times that of physical absorption and the CO₂ was absorbed more completely in chemical absorption. The new empirical correlations for predicting the mass transfer coefficient of the liquid phase were proposed respectively in physical absorption and chemical absorption, which were compared with the empirical formulas in the literature. The volumetric mass transfer coefficients obtained by predictive correlations are in good agreement with those obtained by simulation in this paper. This work made a basic prediction for CO₂ absorption in microchannel and provides a foundation for later experimental research.     

The absorption of CO2 by amine-potash solutions

CO₂ has been absorbed in a stirred vessel into aqueous solutions of MEA and DEA containing K₂CO₃, K₂SO₄ and Na₂SO₄ at 25° and 11°C. While electrolytes in general appear to increase the rate of reaction between CO₂ and both MEA and DEA, K₂CO₃ increases the rate of reaction of DEA much more than that of MEA. The addition of K₂CO₃ to solutions of DEA increases the absorption rate, in spite of the decrease in the solubility and diffusivity of CO₂. The observations help to explain why DEA is an effective promoter for the absorption and desorption of CO₂ by hot, concentrated potash solutions.     

Selective Removal of Carbon Dioxide from Wet CO2/H2 Mixtures via Facilitated Transport Membranes containing Amine Blends as Carriers

The selective separation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a wet gaseous mixture of CO₂/H₂ through facilitated transport membranes containing immobilized aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), ethylenediamine (EDA) and monoprotonated ethylenediamine (EDAH⁺) and their blends was experimentally investigated. The effect of CO₂ partial pressure, amine concentration, feed side pressure and amine species on the CO₂ and H₂ permeances were studied. The CO₂ permeability through amine solution membranes decreased with increasing CO₂ feed partial pressure but the H₂ permeance was almost independent of the H₂ partial pressure. A comparison of experimental results showed that single or blended amines with low viscosity and a moderate equilibrium constant, i.e., large forward and reverse reaction rate of CO₂‐amine, are suitable for effective separation of CO₂. The permeability of CO₂ generally increased with an increase in amine concentration, although this increase may be compromised by the salting out effect and decrease in diffusivities of species. The results obtained indicated that CO₂ permeance across a variety of amines are in the order of DEA (2 M) > MD (2 M) > MD (1 M) > MEA (2 M) > MEA (4 M) > MD (4 M) > DEA (1 M) > DEA (4 M) > MEA (1 M) for various concentrations of MEA + DEA blend and are in the order of EDAH⁺ (2 M) > DEA (2 M) > MH (2 M) > DH (2 M) > ED (2 M) > EDA (2 M) > MEA (2 M) for various blends of amine.     

Modeling the rate of corrosion of carbon steel using activated diethanolamine solutions for CO_2 absorption

A mechanistic model is developed to investigate the influence of an activator on the corrosion rate of carbon steel in the absorption processes of carbon dioxide(CO_2). Piperazine(PZ) is used as the activator in diethanolamine(DEA) aqueous solutions. The developed model for corrosion takes into consideration the effect of fluid flow,transfer of charge and diffusion of oxidizing agents and operating parameters like temperature, activator concentration, CO_2 loading and pH. The study consists of two major models: Vapor–liquid Equilibrium(VLE) model and electrochemical corrosion model. The electrolyte-NRTL equilibrium model was used for determination of concentration of chemical species in the bulk solution. The results of speciation were subsequently used for producing polarization curves and predicting the rate of corrosion occurring at the surface of metal. An increase in concentration of activator, increases the rate of corrosion of carbon steel in mixtures of activated DEA.     

CO2 removal by single and mixed amines in a hollow‐fiber membrane module—investigation of contactor performance

This work investigates CO₂ removal by single and blended amines in a hollow‐fiber membrane contactor (HFMC) under gas‐filled and partially liquid‐filled membrane pores conditions via a two‐scale, nonisothermal, steady‐state model accounting for CO₂ diffusion in gas‐filled pores, CO₂ and amines diffusion/reaction within liquid‐filled pores and CO₂ and amines diffusion/reaction in liquid boundary layer. Model predictions were compared with CO₂ absorption data under various experimental conditions. The model was used to analyze the effects of liquid and gas velocity, CO₂ partial pressure, single (primary, secondary, tertiary, and sterically hindered alkanolamines) and mixed amines solution type, membrane wetting, and cocurrent/countercurrent flow orientation on the HFMC performance. An insignificant difference between the absorption in cocurrent and countercurrent flow was observed in this study. The membrane wetting decreases significantly the performance of hollow‐fiber membrane module. The nonisothermal simulations reveal that the hollow‐fiber membrane module operation can be considered as nearly isothermal. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 955–971, 2015     

CO2 Adsorption Kinetics of K2CO3/Activated Carbon for Low‐Concentration CO2 Removal from Confined Spaces

K₂CO₃ supported on activated carbon (K₂CO₃/AC) is a promising means to remove low‐concentration CO₂ from confined spaces. In this removal process, physical adsorption plays an important role but it is difficult to quantify the amount of CO₂ adsorbed when both H₂O and CO₂ are present. The linear driving force mass transfer model is adopted to study the CO₂ adsorption kinetic characteristics of K₂CO₃/AC by analyzing the experimental data. The effect of K₂CO₃ and H₂O on the adsorption of CO₂ in K₂CO₃/AC was also evaluated. K₂CO₃ loaded on the support is found to increase the mass transfer resistance but decrease the activation energy required for the physical adsorption process. The presence of water vapor is disadvantageous to achieve high physical adsorption capacity since it enhances the chemical sorption in the competitive dynamic sorption process.     

Hybrid FSC membrane for CO2 removal from natural gas: Experimental,process simulation,and economic feasibility analysis

The novel fixed‐site‐carrier (FSC) membranes were prepared by coating carbon nanotubes reinforced polyvinylamine/polyvinyl alcohol selective layer on top of ultrafiltration polysulfone support. Small pilot‐scale modules with membrane area of 110–330 cm² were tested with high pressure permeation rig. The prepared hybrid FSC membranes show high CO₂ permeance of 0.084–0.218 m³ (STP)/(m² h bar) with CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 17.9–34.7 at different feed pressures up to 40 bar for a 10% CO₂ feed gas. Operating parameters of feed pressure, flow rate, and CO₂ concentration were found to significantly influence membrane performance. HYSYS simulation integrated with ChemBrane and cost estimation was conducted to evaluate techno‐economic feasibility of a membrane process for natural gas (NG) sweetening. Simulation results indicated that the developed FSC membranes could be a promising candidate for CO₂ removal from low CO₂ concentration (10%) NGs with a low NG sweetening cost of 5.73E?3 $/Nm³ sweet NG produced. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J 60: 4174–4184, 2014     

CO2 absorption rate in an algal culture: Effect of pH

In a CO₂-limited algal culture, grown in a tubular loop photobioreactor, the maximum rate of CO₂ absorption increased about 1.5-fold when the culture pH value was increased from 6.5 to 7.5 with a fixed initial P_CO2. The mean volumetric CO₂ transfer coefficient (K_La) increased about 1.8-fold. The bicarbonate ion concentration would be increased 10-fold by the pH increase. The effect of pH on the absorption rate is attributed to changes in either the CO₂ diffusivity, the gas bubble size, or the CO₂ reaction kinetics at the gas/liquid boundary.     

A kinetic investigation of the in situ polymerization of methyl methacrylate under supercritical fluid CO2 conditions using high‐pressure DSC

The polymerization kinetics of methyl methacrylate (MMA) under supercritical fluid CO₂ was studied by using high‐pressure DSC. The results indicate that CO₂ can significantly reduce the cage effect and improve the chain propagation reactions, with the observed solvent‐like effects being enhanced by increased CO₂ pressures. The polymerization of MMA under isothermal conditions and 56 atm of CO₂ was characterized by a first‐order kinetic rate expression over the conversion range 20–80%. The apparent activation energy for the reaction was found to be 51.6 kJ/mol, which is less than the value reported under ambient conditions (68.2 kJ/mol). The polymerization kinetics were also evaluated under nonisothermal conditions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1236–1239, 2004     

Simultaneous absorption of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and diethanolamine

This work presents an experimental and theoretical investigation of the simultaneous absorption of CO₂ and H₂S into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and diethanolamine (DEA). The effect of contact time, temperature and amine concentration on the rate of absorption and the selectivity were studied by absorption experiments in a wetted wall column at atmospheric pressure and constant feed gas ratio. The diffusion-reaction processes for CO₂ and H₂S mass transfer in blended amines are modeled according to Higbie's penetration theory with the assumption that all reactions are reversible. The blended amine solvent (AMP+DEA+H₂O) has been found to be an efficient mixed solvent for simultaneous absorption of CO₂ and H₂S. By varying the relative amounts of AMP and DEA the blended amine solvent can be used as an H₂S-selective solvent or an efficient solvent for total removal of CO₂ and H₂S from the gas streams. Predicted results, based on the kinetics-equilibrium-mass transfer coupled model developed in this work, are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results of rates of absorption of CO₂ and H₂S into (AMP+DEA+H₂O) of this work.     

Energy Minimization in Cryogenic Packed Beds during Purification of Natural Gas with High CO2 Content

Minimization of energy consumption was explored for countercurrent switched cryogenic packed beds in which separation of CO₂ and other components of natural gas can be achieved based on differences in freezing or desublimation points. Highly pure CO₂ and methane were obtained after separation. An experimental setup for CO₂ removal from natural gas was constructed and a detailed experimental study was conducted by changing different operating parameters. Compared to other cocurrent or jacket‐cooled constant‐temperature configurations, countercurrent switched beds provided optimal separation and energy efficiencies. The effects of important process parameters like initial temperature profiles of the cryogenic bed, feed composition, and feed flow rate on energy requirement, bed saturation, bed pressure, and cycling times were investigated. The energy requirement for cryogenic packed beds was compared with the conventional cryogenic distillation process.     

Supercritical CO2 Extraction of Chlorophyll a from Spirulina platensis with a Static Modifier

Supercritical CO₂ extraction with a static modifier was applied to extract chlorophyll a from Spirulina platensis. The effects of the process were investigated by single‐factor and response surface analysis experiments. The optimal process parameters for supercritical CO₂ extraction were determined to be: ethanol/water as the modifier, 40 vol.‐% water content in the modifier, 21.2 mL modifier volume, 1 h static soaking time, 2 h dynamic extraction time, 48.7 MPa extraction pressure, 326.4 K extraction temperature, and 10 g min^–1 CO₂ flow rate. The optimized chlorophyll a extraction yield was 6.84 mg g^–1. A comparison of the experimental results suggested that the yield of chlorophyll a by supercritical CO₂ extraction with modifier was higher than that obtained by conventional solvent extraction.     

Mathematical Modeling,Simulation, and Experimental Verification of CO2 Removal in a Turbulent Contact Absorber

A highly efficient technique of contaminant gas reduction, Turbulent Contact Absorber (TCA), is applied to CO₂ removal from a typical flue gas. Aqueous K₂CO₃ sorbent was evaluated as a regenerable sorbent for CO₂ from the flue gas. In order to identify the system, momentum and mass balance equations were written for the TCA tower. A flat plate falling film model was employed to simulate the TCA tower and the effect of turbulence was included in mass and momentum transfer coefficients. To check the accuracy of the model, a pilot scale TCA was built and operated. A Testo type gas analyzer was used to detect gas concentrations at the inlet and outlet of the rig. The model was validated successfully with pilot plant data. The effect of velocity and K₂CO₃ concentration on the TCA performance has also been carried out. It was found that the bed pressure drop increases linearly with gas velocity and then remains constant. An increase in the liquid flow rate increases liquid holdup, which leads to a rise in bed pressure drop. Higher turbulence within the TCA causes a velocity peak to shift from hypothetical gas‐liquid interface towards the falling film plate. An increase of the K₂CO₃ concentration from 1.0 g mol/L to 2.0 g mol/L was found to give an increase in CO₂ removal by about 4 %.