Absorption of carbon dioxide into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and diethanolamine

This work presents an experimental and theoretical investigation of CO₂ absorption into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and diethanolamine (DEA). The CO₂ absorption into the amine blends is described by a combined mass transfer-reaction kinetics-equilibrium model, developed according to Higbie's penetration theory. The model predictions have been found to be in good agreement with the experimental rates of absorption of CO₂ into (AMP+DEA+H₂O). The good agreement between the model predicted rates and enhancement factors and the experimental results indicate that the combined mass transfer-reaction kinetics-equilibrium model with the appropriate use of model parameters can effectively represent CO₂ mass transfer for the aqueous amine blends AMP/DEA.     

Absorption of carbon dioxide in piperazine activated concentrated aqueous 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol solvent

In this work new experimental data on the rate of absorption of CO₂ into piperazine (PZ) activated concentrated aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) over the temperature range 303–323 K are presented. The absorption experiments have been carried out in a wetted wall contactor over CO₂ partial pressure range of 5–15 kPa. PZ is used as a rate activator with a concentration ranging from 2 to 8 wt% keeping the total amine concentration in the solution at 40 wt%. The physical properties such as density and viscosity of concentrated aqueous AMP+PZ, as well as physical solubility of CO₂ in concentrated aqueous AMP+PZ, are also measured. New experimental data on vapor liquid equilibrium (VLE) of CO₂ in these concentrated aqueous solutions of AMP+PZ in the temperature range of 303–323 K have also been presented. The VLE measurements are carried out in an equilibrium cell in CO₂ pressure range of 0.1–140 kPa. A thermodynamic model based on electrolyte non-random two-liquid (eNRTL) theory is used to represent the VLE of CO₂ in aqueous AMP+PZ. Liquid phase speciations are estimated considering the nonideality of concentrated solutions of the amines and the calculated activity coefficients by eNRTL model. The CO₂ absorption in the aqueous amine solutions is described by a combined mass transfer-reaction kinetics model developed according to Higbie's penetration theory. The model predictions have been found to be in good agreement with the experimental results of the rates of absorptions of CO₂ into aqueous AMP+PZ.     

CO2 capture into aqueous solutions of piperazine activated 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol

In this work, experimental data and a simplified vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) model for the absorption of CO₂ into aqueous solutions of piperazine (PZ) activated 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) are reported. The purpose of the work was to find the AMP/PZ system with the highest concentration and cyclic capacity, which could be used in the industry without forming solid precipitations at operational temperatures. The effect of the AMP/PZ ratio and the total concentration level of amine was studied. The highest possible ratio of AMP/PZ, which does not form solid precipitates during the absorption of CO₂ at 40 °C (40 wt% amine), was identified. Considering the maximum loading found in the screening tests for AMP/PZ (3+1.5 M) and for 30 wt% MEA systems, the AMP/PZ system has about 128% higher specific cyclic capacity if operating between 40 and 80 °C, and almost twice the CO₂ partial pressure at 120 °C compared to MEA.     

Kinetics of the absorption of carbon dioxide into mixed aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol and piperazine

The reaction kinetics of the absorption of CO₂ into aqueous solutions of piperazine (PZ) and into mixed aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol (AMP) and PZ were investigated by wetted wall column at 30-40 °C. The physical properties such as density, viscosity, solubility, and diffusivity of the aqueous alkanolamine solutions were also measured. The N₂O analogy was applied to estimate the solubilities and diffusivities of CO₂ in aqueous amine systems. Based on the pseudo-first-order for the CO₂ absorption, the overall pseudo first-order reaction rate constants were determined from the kinetic measurements. For CO₂ absorption into aqueous PZ solutions, the obtained second-order reaction rate constants for the reaction of CO₂ with PZ are in a good agreement with the results of Bishnoi and Rochelle (Chem. Eng. Sci. 55 (2000) 5531). For CO₂ absorption into mixed aqueous solutions of AMP and PZ, it was found that the addition of small amounts of PZ to aqueous AMP solutions has significant effect on the enhancement of the CO₂ absorption rate. For the CO₂ absorption reaction rate model, a hybrid reaction rate model, a second-order reaction for the reaction of CO₂ with PZ and a zwitterion mechanism for the reaction of CO₂ with AMP was used to model the kinetic data. The overall absolute percentage deviation for the calculation of the apparent rate constant k_app is 7.7% for the kinetics data measured. The model is satisfactory to represent the CO₂ absorption into mixed aqueous solutions of AMP and PZ.     

Absorption of carbon dioxide by the absorbent composed of piperazine and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol in PVDF membrane contactor

This paper tests the performance of microporous polyvinylidinefluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber in a gas absorption membrane process (GAM) using the aqueous solutions of piperazine (PZ) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP). Experiments were conducted at various gas flow rates, liquid flow rates and absorbent concentrations. Experimental results showed that wetting ratio was about 0.036% when used with the aqueous alkanolamine solutions, while that was 0.39% with aqueous piperazine solutions. The CO₂ absorption rates increased with increasing both liquid and gas flow rates at N_Re < 20. The increase of the PZ concentration showed an increase of absorption rate of CO₂. The CO₂ absorption rate was much enhanced by the addition of PZ promoter. The resistance of membrane was predominated as using a low reactivity absorbent and can be neglected as using absorbent of AMP aqueous solution. The resistance of gas-film diffusion was dominated as using the mixed absorbents of AMP and PZ. An increase of PZ concentration, the resistance of liquid-film diffusion decreased but resistance of gas-film increased. Overall, GAM systems were shown to be an effective technology for absorbing CO₂ from simulated flue gas streams, but the viscosity and solvent-membrane relationship were critical factors that can significantly affect system performance.     

Absorption of carbon dioxide into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and monoethanolamine

This work presents an investigation of CO₂ absorption into aqueous blends of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and monoethanolamine (MEA). The acid gas mass transfer has been modeled using equilibrium-mass transfer-kinetics-based combined model to describe CO₂ absorption into the amine blends according to Higbie's penetration theory. The effect of contact time and relative amine concentration on the rate of absorption and enhancement factor were studied by absorption experiment in a wetted wall column at atmospheric pressure. The model was used to estimate the rate coefficient of the reaction between CO₂ and monoethanolamine at 313 K from experimentally measured absorption rates. A rigorous parametric sensitivity test has been done to identify the key systems’ parameters and quantify their effects on the mass transfer using the mathematical model developed in this work. The model predictions have been found to be in good agreement with the experimental rates of absorption of CO₂ into (AMP+MEA+H₂O).     

Kinetics and modeling of carbon dioxide absorption into aqueous solutions of piperazine

In this work, the kinetics of the reaction between CO₂ and aqueous piperazine (PZ) have been estimated over the temperature range of 298-313 K from the absorption data obtained in a wetted wall contactor. The absorption data are obtained for the PZ concentrations of 0.2- and for CO₂ partial pressures up to 5 kPa. A coupled mass transfer-kinetics-equilibrium mathematical model based on Higbie's penetration theory has been developed with the assumption that all reactions are reversible. The model is used to estimate the rate constants from the experimental data for absorption of CO₂ in aqueous PZ. The estimated rate constants of this study are in good agreement with those reported in the literature.     

Comparison of solvent performance for CO2 capture from coal-derived flue gas: A pilot scale study

The performance of a proprietary solvent (CAER-B2), an amine-carbonate blend, for the absorption of CO₂ from coal-derived flue gas is evaluated and compared with state-of-the-art 30 wt% monoethanolamine (MEA) under similar experimental conditions in a 0.1 MWth pilot plant. The evaluation was done by comparing the carbon capture efficiency, the overall mass transfer rates, and the energy of regeneration of the solvents. For similar carbon loadings of the solvents in the scrubber, comparable mass transfer rates were obtained. The rich loading obtained for the blend was 0.50 mol CO₂/mol amine compared to 0.44 mol CO₂/mol amine for MEA. The energy of regeneration for the blend was about 10% lower than that of 30 wt% MEA. At optimum conditions, the blend shows promise in reducing the energy penalty associated with using industry standard, MEA, as a solvent for CO₂ capture.     

Kinetics of carbon dioxide absorption and desorption in aqueous alkanolamine solutions using a novel hemispherical contactor—II: Experimental results and parameter estimation

In Part 1 of this paper, detailed design of the hemispherical apparatus and a rigorous mathematical model applied to CO₂ absorption and desorption in and from aqueous alkanolamine solutions was presented with some preliminary results. This part of the paper provides detailed results on CO₂-amine kinetics under absorption and desorption conditions and present new estimates of the kinetic parameter for aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), methyl-diethanolamine (MDEA) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP). The absorption experiments were conducted at near atmospheric pressure with pure humidified CO₂ at 293-323 K using initially unloaded solutions. The desorption experiments were performed at 333-383 K for CO₂ loadings between 0.02 to 0.7 mol of CO₂ per mole of amine using humidified nitrogen gas as a stripping medium at total system pressure ranging from 110 to 205 kPa.The new rigorous mathematical model discussed in Part 1 was used in conjunction with a non-linear regression technique to estimate the kinetic parameters. In all cases, the new model predicts the experimental results well. Also, the new results clearly demonstrate that the theory of absorption with reversible chemical reaction could be used to predict desorption rates. The zwitterion mechanism adequately describes the reactions between CO₂ and carbamate forming amines such as MEA, DEA and AMP. The reactions between CO₂ and aqueous MDEA solutions are best described by a base-catalyzed hydration reaction mechanism. The kinetic data obtained show that desorption experiments could be used to determine both forward and backward rate constants accurately. The absorption experiments, on the other hand, could only be used to determine forward rate constants. It was found that at all operating conditions used in this study, the kinetic parameters for MEA, DEA and AMP obtained using absorption data could not be extrapolated to predict desorption rates. However, for MDEA, these data could be used successfully to obtain reasonably good predictions of desorption rates.     

An experimental/computational study of steric hindrance effects on CO2 absorption in (non)aqueous amine solutions

The reaction kinetics and molecular mechanisms of CO₂ absorption using nonaqueous and aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA)/methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)/2-amino-2-methy-1-propanol (AMP) solutions were analyzed by the stopped-flow technique and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. Pseudo first-order rate constants (k₀) of reactions between CO₂ and amines were measured. A kinetic model was proposed to correlate the k₀ to the amine concentration, and was proved to perform well for predicting the relationship between k₀ and the amine concentration. The experimental results showed that AMP/MDEA only took part in the deprotonation of MEA-zwitterion in nonaqueous MEA + AMP/MEA + MDEA solutions. In aqueous solutions, AMP can also react with CO₂ through base-catalyzed hydration mechanism beside the zwitterion mechanism. Molecular mechanisms of CO₂ absorption were also explored by AIMD simulations coupled with metadynamics sampling. The predicted free-energy barriers of key elementary reactions verified the kinetic model and demonstrated the different molecular mechanisms for the reaction between CO₂ and AMP.     

Kinetics of carbon dioxide absorption and desorption in aqueous alkanolamine solutions using a novel hemispherical contactor—I. Experimental apparatus and mathematical modeling

This two-parts paper summarizes the experimental and theoretical results of a comprehensive and first of its kind study on the kinetics of carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorption and desorption in and from aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), methyl-diethanolamine (MDEA) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and their mixtures (i.e., MEA+AMP, MEA+MDEA, DEA+AMP and DEA+MDEA). Part-1 of this paper presents a detailed design of the novel hemispherical apparatus and a rigorous mathematical model applicable to both absorption and desorption conditions with some preliminary results and Part-2 provides detailed results with estimates of kinetic coefficients for CO₂ absorption and desorption for eight different aqueous amine systems.The new hemispherical contactor consists of a 76 mm diameter solid hemisphere housed in a Pyrex glass cylinder with appropriate gas and liquid feed and withdrawal systems. The liquid feed passes through a 4 mm ID tube, which is located in the center of the hemisphere, and discharges at the top. The liquid descends as a well-defined liquid film over the surface of the hemisphere and is collected by a funnel (79 mm ID) at the base of the hemisphere. The interfacial area and hydrodynamics are well defined and the entrance/exit effects as well as surface rippling are minimized. Using this apparatus, the absorption experiments were conducted at near atmospheric pressure with pure CO₂ saturated with water vapor at 293-323 K with initially unloaded solutions and the desorption experiments were performed at 333-383 K for CO₂ loadings between 0.02 and 0.7 moles of CO₂ per mole of amine using humidified nitrogen gas as a stripping medium at total system pressures up to 205 kPa.The new rigorous mathematical model developed to interpret the rate data is based on the principle of diffusional mass transfer accompanied with liquid-phase chemical reactions over a hemispherical liquid film. Also developed in this work is a methodology that uses the rigorous model in conjunction with a non-linear regression technique to estimate kinetic parameters. Preliminary results presented in this part of the paper show that the new experimental apparatus was successful in accurately measuring and the new model and its numerical implementation were successful in accurately predicting both absorption and desorption rates for all aqueous amine systems considered in this study.     

Determination of mass transfer resistance during absorption of carbon dioxide by mixed absorbents in PVDF and PP membrane contactor

In this study, the absorption of carbon dioxide by the absorbent which was composed of 2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol (AMP) + piperazine (PZ) or methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) + piperazine (PZ) in polyvinylidinefluoride (PVDF) and polypropylene (PP) membrane contactors werewas examined. Three resistances were considered in each hollow fiber, i.e., liquid-film diffusion, membrane diffusion, and gas-film diffusion. The mass transfer resistance of membrane k_m was influenced by the wetting ratio using an absorbent with higher reaction rate. The wetting ratio was affected by contact angle between the membrane and absorbent and the viscosity of absorbent. The calculated absorption rates considering wetting ratio of membrane and using the modified correlation equation of gas-phase mass transfer coefficient were reasonably agreeable to those of measured ones (standard deviation, 4%). The fractional resistance of each transport step during the experiments was then determined. The rate-controlling step was dominated by the resistance of gas-film diffusion with mixed absorbents. The absorption rates of CO₂ increase with the increasing of gas flow rates in the most experimental cases. The resistance of liquid-film diffusion was only important using an absorbent with lower reaction rate. The rate-controlling step was the membrane diffusion only at higher gas flow rate with the absorbent composed of AMP and PZ in PVDF hollow fiber membrane contactor.     

Characteristics of absorption and regeneration of carbon dioxide in aqueous 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol/ammonia solutions

In this study, the removal efficiency, absorption amount, and loading value of CO₂ into aqueous blended 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP)/ammonia (NH₃) solutions were measured by using the absorption and regeneration continual process. The effect of adding NH₃ to enhance absorption characteristics of AMP was investigated. The performance was evaluated under various operating conditions. As a result, the method of blending AMP and NH₃ was not adequate because of a problem with scale formation. Consequently, NH₃ of 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt% was added to 30 wt% AMP. Of these additions, 5 wt% NH₃ was the optimum concentration because the CO₂ removal efficiency and absorption amount were almost 100% and 2.17 kg CO₂/kg absorbent, respectively. Also, the scale problem was almost absent. As the regenerator temperature varied from 80–110 °C, the loading of rich amine was almost constant, but the loading of lean amine was decreased as the regenerator temperature increased. Thus, the optimum regenerator temperature was 110 °C in this experiment.     

Removal of carbon dioxide by absorption in mixed amines: modelling of absorption in aqueous MDEA/MEA and AMP/MEA solutions

This work presents an investigation of CO₂ absorption into aqueous blends of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and monoethanolamine (MEA), as well as 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and monoethanolamine (MEA). The combined mass transfer–reaction kinetics–equilibrium model to describe CO₂ absorption into the amine blends has been developed according to Higbie's penetration theory following the work of Hagewiesche et al. (Chem. Eng. Sci. 50 (1995) 1071). The model predictions have been found to be in good agreement with the experimental rates of absorption of CO₂ into (MDEA+MEA+H₂O) of this work and into (AMP+MEA+H₂O) reported by Xiao et al. (Chem. Eng. Sci. 55 (2000) 161), measured at higher contact times using wetted wall contactor. The good agreement between the model predicted rates and enhancement factors and the experimental results indicate that the combined mass transfer–reaction kinetics–equilibrium model with the appropriate use of model parameters can effectively represent CO₂ mass transfer for the aqueous amine blends MDEA/MEA and AMP/MEA.     

CO2 Capture by Liquid Solvents and their Regeneration by Thermal Decomposition of the Solid Carbonated Derivatives

The chemical capture of CO₂ by either aqueous Na₂CO₃ and K₂CO₃ or nonaqueous solutions of the amines 2‐amino‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanol (AMP) or piperazine (PZ) is described. The captured CO₂ is stored as solid NaHCO₃, KHCO₃, and AMP or PZ carbamates. Solid NaHCO₃ and KHCO₃ are decomposed at 200 °C and 250 °C, respectively, to regenerate the carbonates for their reuse. In the experiments with AMP or PZ, the solid carbamates are decomposed at 80 °C–110 °C to regenerate the free amines. The absence of water in the desorption‐regeneration step is intriguing and could have the potential of reducing one of the major disadvantages of aqueous absorbents, namely the energy cost of the regeneration step and amine degradation, yet preserving the efficiency of the absorption in the liquid phase.     

Aqueous piperazine derivatives for CO2 capture: Accurate screening by a wetted wall column

Concentrated aqueous piperazine (PZ) has been identified as a better solvent for CO₂ capture than monoethanolamine (MEA), because it has a greater rate of CO₂ absorption and greater CO₂ capacity. This work evaluates the effect of substitute groups on PZ performance. Many previous screening studies measured absorption/desorption with CO₂/N₂ sparging, which lacks accuracy and cannot be used to estimate actual absorber performance. In this work a wetted wall column was used to accurately measure absorption/desorption rate at typical rich and lean CO₂ loading (α) and simulate performance of real packing. The method also provides accurate measurement of CO₂ solubility at 40-100 °C. This study provided rate and solubility data at 40-100 °C and practical ranges of CO₂ loading for 8 m 1-methylpiperazine (1-MPZ), 8 m 2-methylpiperazine (2-MPZ), 4 m 2-MPZ/4 m PZ, 7.7 m N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine (HEP), 6 m 1-(2-aminoethyl)piperazine (AEP), 8 m 2-piperidine ethanol (2-PE), and 2 m trans-2,5-dimethylpiperazine (2,5-DMPZ). With the measurements of CO₂ flux (NCO₂) and equilibrium driving force, liquid film mass transfer coefficients (k_g′) are calculated. The rate decreases as of 1-MPZ = PZ > 2-MPZ/PZ > 2-MPZ > HEP > MEA > AEP = 2-PE. This method also allows bracketing and determination of equilibrium CO₂ partial pressure (^*PCO₂) at each condition. Semi-empirical solubility models of CO₂ for each amine were regressed from experimental solubility data to find the lean and rich CO₂ loading corresponding to 0.500 kPa and 5 kPa CO₂ partial pressure respectively. Based on the solubility model, the actual operating capacity of the solvents without overstripping decreases in the sequence of 2-PE > 2-MPZ > 2-MPZ/PZ > 1-MPZ > PZ > HEP > AEP > MEA. The enthalpy of CO₂ absorption (ΔH_abs) of all the piperazine derivatives is around 70 kJ/mol CO₂.     

Analysis of the heat of reaction and regeneration in alkanolamine-CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> system

The estimation of regeneration heat of absorbent is important because it is a key factor that has an effect on the process efficiency. In this study, thermal stability and regeneration heat of aqueous amine solutions such as monoethanolamine (MEA), 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), and 1,8-diamino-pmenthane (KIER-C3) were investigated by using TGA-DSC analysis. The thermal characteristics of the fresh and CO₂ rich amine solutions were estimated. The CO₂ rich amine solutions were obtained by VLE experiments at T=40 °C. The regeneration heat of aqueous MEA solution was 76.991–66.707 kJ/mol-CO₂, which is similar to heat of absorption. The reproducibility of the results was obtained. The regeneration heat of aqueous KIER-C3 20 wt% solution (1.68 M) was lower than that of aqueous MEA 30 wt% solution (4.91 M). Therefore, the KIER-C3 can be used as an effective absorbent for acid gas removal.     

Acceleration of the reaction of carbon dioxide into aqueous 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol solutions by piperazine addition

In this work, the kinetics of the reaction between CO₂ and piperazine-activated aqueous solutions of a sterically hindered alkanolamine, 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol (AHPD) was studied in a wetted wall column contactor at 303.15, 313.15 and 323.15 K. The AHPD concentration in the aqueous solutions was kept at while the piperazine (PZ) concentration varied in the range . Under pseudo-first-order CO₂ absorption conditions, the overall pseudo-first-order rate constants were determined and reaction rate parameters were calculated with a non-linear regression from the overall reaction rate constant. The ratio of the diffusivity and Henry's law constant for CO₂ in solutions was estimated by applying the N₂O analogy and the Higbie penetration theory, using the physical absorption data of CO₂ and N₂O in water and of N₂O in amine solutions. Piperazine was found to be an effective activator in the aqueous AHPD solutions, as the addition of small amounts of PZ to these solutions has a significant effect on the enhancement of the CO₂ absorption rate for all studied temperatures.     

Surface Tensions of Carbonated 2‐Amino‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanol and Piperazine Aqueous Solutions

Surface tensions of carbonated 2‐amino‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanol (AMP) and piperazine (PZ) aqueous solutions were measured by a surface tension meter which employs the Wilhemy plate principle. A thermodynamic model was proposed to correlate the surface tensions of both CO₂‐unloaded and CO₂‐loaded aqueous solutions by introducing the contribution of CO₂ loading into the formulation of surface tension. Based on experiments and calculations, the effects of temperature, mass fractions of amines, and CO₂ loading on surface tensions of carbonated aqueous solutions were demonstrated.     

CO2 capture solvent selection by combined absorption-desorption analysis

A method was developed for selection of promising solvents based on CO₂ absorption experiments at 40 °C and 9.5 kPa CO₂ partial pressure followed by desorption of the same solvents at 80 °C down to 1.0 kPa CO₂ partial pressure. Experiments conducted on 13 solvent systems under atmospheric conditions revealed the solvents absorption and desorption characteristics and these were compared with 1.0 M, 2.5 M, 5.0 M and 10.0 M MEA. Results showed that absorption or stripping data alone were not sufficient in making robust solvent selection decisions, and that combined data analysis was necessary. 1.0 M tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) and 5.0 M MEA showed the best performance in terms of absorption rate. 1.5 M Bis-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) amine (TMBPA) was easy to desorb, has high absorption capacity; and when promoted it showed the best performance in terms of CO₂ carrying capacity. At the test conditions, 1.5 M TMBPA promoted with 1.0 M PZ showed the best potential for efficient CO₂ removal at reduced cost of all systems tested. Its cyclic capacity in mol CO₂/mol amine was found to be 70% higher than that of 5 M MEA.