Sulfation rates of cycled CaO particles in the carbonator of a Ca‐looping cycle for postcombustion CO2 capture

Calcium looping is an energy‐efficient CO₂ capture technology that uses CaO as a regenerable sorbent. One of the advantages of Ca‐looping compared with other postcombustion technologies is the possibility of operating with flue gases that have a high SO₂ content. However, experimental information on sulfation reaction rates of cycled particles in the conditions typical of a carbonator reactor is scarce. This work aims to define a semiempirical sulfation reaction model at particle level suitable for such reaction conditions. The pore blocking mechanism typically observed during the sulfation reaction of fresh calcined limestones is not observed in the case of highly cycled sorbents (N > 20) and the low values of sulfation conversion characteristic of the sorbent in the Ca‐looping system. The random pore model is able to predict reasonably well, the CaO conversion to CaSO₄ taking into account the evolution of the pore structure during the calcination/carbonation cycles. The intrinsic reaction parameters derived for chemical and diffusion controlled regimes are in agreement with those found in the literature for sulfation in other systems. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical EngineersAIChE J, 2012     

钙基吸附剂中纳米CaO与CO_2反应动力学模型的改进

纳米Ca O基吸附剂的吸附容量经历最初碳化和再生反应循环过程衰减后趋于稳定,研究了经过多次循环预处理后稳定的钙基吸附剂中纳米Ca O与CO2反应动力学。钙基CO2吸附剂预处理条件为碳化反应温度为600℃,再生反应温度为800℃循环42次。采用热重分析仪,在吸附温度550~630℃,CO2分压0.01~0.02 MPa条件下,测定预处理后得到的吸附剂中纳米Ca O与CO2的反应速率。通过优化气-固离子反应吸附模型的参数,拟合实验数据得到改进的反应动力学方程,求得反应活化能为77.7 k J?mol?1,约为新鲜吸附剂第一次吸附反应活化能的2.5倍。方程平均相对误差仅为6.4%。得到的改进动力学方程更真实反映吸附剂在稳定循环使用条件下的纳米Ca O与CO2反应动力学特性。     

Experimental investigation of a circulating fluidized‐bed reactor to capture CO2 with CaO

Calcium looping processes for capturing CO₂ from large emissions sources are based on the use of CaO particles as sorbent in circulating fluidized‐bed (CFB) reactors. A continuous flow of CaO from an oxyfired calciner is fed into the carbonator and a certain inventory of active CaO is expected to capture the CO₂ in the flue gas. The circulation rate and the inventory of CaO determine the CO₂ capture efficiency. Other parameters such as the average carrying capacity of the CaO circulating particles, the temperature, and the gas velocity must be taken into account. To investigate the effect of these variables on CO₂ capture efficiency, we used a 6.5 m height CFB carbonator connected to a twin CFB calciner. Many stationary operating states were achieved using different operating conditions. The trends of CO₂ capture efficiency measured are compared with those from a simple reactor model. This information may contribute to the future scaling up of the technology. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 57: 000–000, 2011     

Synthesis of a Porous Nano‐CaO/MgO‐Based CO2 Adsorbent

A porous nano‐CaO/MgO‐based adsorbent was prepared using MgO as a support in order to increase the sorption capacity and durability. The magnesium sol prepared by reacting MgO slurry with citric acid was added to nano‐CaCO₃ slurry and the mixture was calcinated to obtain the nano‐CaO/MgO‐based adsorbent. The influence of MgO content on the structure and sorption performance of the resulting adsorbent was studied in detail. The pore radius and specific surface area of the adsorbent increased with higher MgO content. The adsorbent exhibited superior sorption performance during calcium looping and maintained a good durability at the calcination temperature, thus being an interesting candidate for future work.     

CO2载体CaO循环煅烧/碳酸化反应的分形特征

捕捉煤燃烧释放出的CO₂时,作为CO₂载体的CaO微观结构特性对其循环碳酸化性能具有显著影响。采用分形维数作为表征CaO微观结构的特征参数,研究在循环煅烧/碳酸化反应过程中CaO的分形特征及其对CO₂捕捉性能的影响规律。结果表明,随着循环次数的增加CaO分形维数逐渐下降,CaO孔道也由粗糙和不规则变得越来越平滑和有规则性。煅烧温度升高则CaO分形维数下降。分形维数较大的CaO具有较高的碳酸化速率。在碳酸化过程的前10 min内CaO的分形维数迅速减小,此后随时间变化缓慢。在分形维数D≤2.61的实验范围内,CaO分形维数与其循环碳酸化转化率呈线性正相关;当D＞2.61时,可能存在临界分形维数D_cr,当D＞D_cr时随着分形维数的进一步增大CaO转化率反而减小。     

Preparation of novel nano/submicrofiber catalyst containing nano‐TiO2 particles

A novel Nano/submicrofiber catalyst was prepared via electrospinning technology from poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and nano‐TiO₂. First, nano‐TiO₂ particles were added into the mixture of ethanol and deionized water, the mass ratio of ethanol and deionized water was 1 : 1, the TiO₂ suspension was obtained after 1 h with ultrasonic treatment and centrifugal effect, Then PVP was added into the above‐mentioned suspension and the content of PVP in the sol was 28%. The TiO₂/PVP solution was electrospun with different voltage. The effects of the content of TiO₂ and electrospinning voltage on diameter of nano/submicrofiber were studied. The nano/submicrofiber catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microcopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared. The results show that the diameter of nano/submicrofiber increases with an increase of the content of nano‐TiO₂ and decreases with the increase of electrospinning voltage. The analytical result showed that the nano‐TiO₂ particles were well dispersed in the matrix of PVP, moreover, the crystal type of nano‐TiO₂ was a mixture of anatase and rutile and the diameter of nano‐TiO₂ particles in the nano/submicrofiber is in the range of 20–60 nm and the nano‐TiO₂ particle was monodisperse, and the nano‐TiO₂ particle and PVP molecule was connected by a hydrogen bonding. This nano/submicrofiber catalyst has a high efficiency on degradation on CH₂O. 56.8 percent of CH₂O was degraded under ultraviolet radiation in 80 min when the content of nano‐TiO₂ is 20% in nano/submicrofibers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

镁负载CaO基吸附剂捕集CO2性能及抗烧结机理

复合钙基吸附剂制备成本过高是限制其工业化应用的主要瓶颈问题。本文以不可溶的CaCO₃和Ca(OH)₂作为钙源,通过燃烧合成法制备钙镁复合吸附剂,在双固定床反应器上研究了其循环捕集CO₂性能。结果显示：制备得到的钙镁复合吸附剂具有更发达的孔隙结构,吸附剂表面Ca和Mg分散均匀,MgO均匀分布于CaO晶粒之间,有效提高了钙镁复合吸附剂的抗烧结特性,因此钙镁复合吸附剂循环反应过程中具有高捕集CO₂活性。以Ca(OH)₂作为钙源时,燃烧合成过程中Ca和Mg均匀同时析出,分散更加均匀,有效避免了CaCO₃作为钙源时Mg的团聚问题,因此得到的钙镁复合吸附剂循环捕集CO₂性能最优。最佳的Ca/Mg摩尔比为(8∶2)~(7.5∶2.5)。本研究以不可溶钙源制备得到高活性钙镁复合吸附剂,有效控制了吸附剂成本,具有更好的工程应用前景。     

CaO/FA吸收剂高温吸收CO2及穿透特性

利用完全煅烧后的CaO和粉煤灰（Fly Ash）为材料制备了CaO/FA吸收剂。在350~650℃温度范围内对其碳酸化反应特性进行了研究。考察了不同质量比的CaO/FA吸收剂吸收CO2的性能。利用XRD、N2吸附等表征手段对吸收剂反应前后产物进行了表征。结果表明：通过水合反应过程,吸收剂比表面积增大,孔径在5~40nm范围内属于中孔,有利于减小CO2向颗粒内部的扩散阻力。CaO/FA吸收剂CO2吸收量随温度的升高而增加。当CaO与粉煤灰的质量比为3:1时制备的吸收剂具有最好的CO2吸收能力,在650℃时其最大CO2吸收量达到了227.13mg/g。通过多次循环试验后,吸附剂仍保持较高的CO2吸收量与稳定吸收性能。失活模型可以很好地预测CaO/FA吸收剂吸收CO2的过程,并得到了理想的吸收速率常数和失活速率常数。     

CO2 Capture Performance of Calcium‐Based Sorbents in the Presence of SO2 under Pressurized Carbonation

In order to understand the effect of SO₂ on the CO₂ capture performance under pressurized carbonation conditions, tests by orthogonal design were carried out in a calcination/pressurized carbonation reactor system. The effects of variables such as carbonation temperature, carbonation pressure, SO₂ concentration, CO₂ concentration, and the number of cycles on carbonation and sulfation were investigated. A range method was employed for analysis. Phase structure and scanning electron microscopy images were measured as supplement for a reaction study. Temperature increase enhanced the SO₂ capture, leading to a rapid decay in CO₂ uptake. The carbonation pressure had a stronger effect on the CO₂ uptake than the temperature. SO₂ uptake increased rapidly with increasing pressure while CO₂ uptake decreased.     

循环捕集CO2后煅烧石灰石的硫化特性

ZEC(zero emission coal)系统中,粗煤气进入碳酸化/重整炉前需先脱除H₂S,提出利用经过多次碳酸化/煅烧捕集CO₂循环的煅烧石灰石(CaO)脱除H₂S,并研究循环碳酸化/煅烧次数、硫化温度、H₂S浓度和微观结构对循环CaO硫化特性的影响。结果表明,多次循环碳酸化/煅烧捕集CO₂后CaO仍具有较高H₂S吸收性能。前20次循环,CaO硫化转化率随循环次数增加迅速降低;20次循环后,CaO硫化转化率缓慢下降。硫化120 min后,未循环CaO的硫化转化率接近100%,而经历1、20和100次循环后CaO的硫化转化率分别为94%、81%和74%。H₂S浓度对循环CaO硫化性能影响较大。硫化温度(800～1000℃)对循环CaO的硫化性能影响较小,最佳硫化温度为900℃。随循环次数增加,CaO颗粒发生高温烧结,导致比表面积降低和20～150 nm内孔隙减少,而这是与H₂S吸收密切相关的孔隙,导致CaO硫化转化率降低。     

Preparation and characterization of bipolar membranes modified using photocatalyst nano‐TiO2 and nano‐ZnO

The nano‐ZnO and nano‐TiO₂ were added into chitosan (CS) anion layer to prepare polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ‐ sodium alginate (SA)/ TiO₂‐ZnO‐CS (here, PVA:polyvinyl alcohol; SA:sodium alginate) bipolar membrane (BPM), which was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), electric universal testing machine, contact angle measurer, and so on. Experimental results showed that nano‐TiO₂‐ZnO exhibited better photocatalytic property for water splitting at the interlayer of BPM than nano‐TiO₂ or nano‐ZnO. The membrane impedance and voltage drop (IR drop) of the BPM were obviously decreased under the irradiation of high‐pressure mercury lamps. At a current density of 60 mA/cm², the cell voltage of PVA‐SA/TiO₂‐ZnO‐CS BPM‐equipped cell decreased by 1.0 V. And the cell voltages of PVA‐SA/TiO₂‐CS BPM‐equipped cell and PVA‐SA/ZnO‐CS BPM‐equipped cell were only reduced by 0.7 and 0.6 V, respectively. Furthermore, the hydrophilicity, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the modified BPM were increased. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

SO42−/ZrO2 supported on γ‐Al2O3 as a catalyst for CO2 desorption from CO2‐loaded monoethanolamine solutions

In this work, the composite catalysts, SO₄²/ZrO₂/γ‐Al₂O₃ (SZA), with different ZrO₂ and γ‐Al₂O₃ mass ratios were prepared and used for the first time for the carbon dioxide (CO₂)‐loaded monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent regeneration process to reduce the heat duty. The regeneration characteristics with five catalysts (three SZA catalysts and two parent catalysts) of a 5 M MEA solution with an initial CO₂ loading of 0.5 mol CO₂/mol amine at 98°C were investigated in terms of CO₂ desorption performance and compared with those of a blank test. All the catalysts were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption–desorption experiment, ammonia temperature programmed desorption, and pyridine‐adsorption infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that the SZA catalysts exhibited superior catalytic activity to the parent catalysts. A possible catalytic mechanism for the CO₂ desorption process over SZA catalyst was proposed. The results reveal that SZA1/1, which possesses the highest joint value of Brφnsted acid sites (BASs) and mesopore surface area (MSA), presented the highest catalytic performance, decreasing the heat duty by 36.9% as compared to the catalyst‐free run. The SZA1/1 catalyst shows the best catalytic performance as compared with the reported catalyst for this purpose. Moreover, the SZA catalyst has advantages of low cost, good cyclic stability, easy regeneration and has no effect on the CO₂ absorption performance of MEA. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 3988–4001, 2018     

CO2 Capture for Fossil Fuel‐Fired Power Plants

An overview of technologies for fossil fuel‐fired power plants with drastically reduced CO₂ emissions is given. Post‐combustion capture, pre‐combustion capture, and oxyfuel technology are introduced and compared. Current research results indicate that post‐combustion capture may lead to slightly higher losses in power plant efficiency than the two other technologies. However, retrofitting of existing plants with oxyfuel technology is complex and costly, and retrofitting of pre‐combustion capture is not possible. On the other hand, post‐combustion capture can be retrofitted to existing power plants with only minimal effort. Based on the mature technology of reactive absorption, it can be implemented on a large scale in the near future. Therefore, post‐combustion capture using reactive absorption is discussed here in some detail.     

负载型K2CO3/Al2O3吸收剂吸收CO2反应机理

利用热重分析仪、扫描电镜和氮吸附仪对不同粒径的K₂CO₃颗粒和负载型K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃二氧化碳吸收剂的碳酸化特性进行研究。负载后的吸收剂比表面积和孔隙结构得到较大改善,使得碳酸化反应速率和转化率均提高,吸收剂碳酸化特性得到改善。纯K₂CO₃颗粒吸收剂的反应速率和转化率随着粒径的增加而减小,负载型吸收剂的反应速率和转化率随着粒径的增加略增大。研究了不同粒径和反应时间对K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃颗粒微观结构的影响,结果表明K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃颗粒具有较稳定的微观结构。采用负载型粒子模型对K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃吸收剂吸收CO₂碳酸化过程进行研究,所建立的粒子模型计算结果与试验值吻合较好。利用建立的模型对不同CO₂浓度下K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃吸收剂碳酸化反应特性进行模拟计算,模拟结果具备一定的合理性和准确性,为开展进一步研究提供了基础。     

Application of polyethylenimine‐impregnated solid adsorbents for direct capture of low‐concentration CO2

A systematic study of CO₂ capture on the amine‐impregnated solid adsorbents is carried out at CO₂ concentrations in the range of 400–5000 ppm, relating to the direct CO₂ capture from atmospheric air. The commercially available polymethacrylate‐based HP2MGL and polyethylenimine are screened to be the suitable support and amine, respectively, for preparation of the adsorbent. The adsorbents exhibit an excellent saturation adsorption capacity of 1.96 mmol/g for 400 ppm CO₂ and 2.13 mmol/g for 5000 ppm CO₂. Moisture plays a promoting effect on CO₂ adsorption but depends on the relative humidity. The presence of O₂ would lead to the decrease of adsorption capacity but do not affect the cyclic performance. The diffusion additive is efficient to improve the adsorption capacity and cyclic performance. Moreover, the adsorbents can be easily regenerated under a mild temperature. This study may have a positive impact on the design of high‐performance adsorbents for CO₂ capture from ambient air. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 972–980, 2015