Catalyst aided regeneration of nonaqueous absorbent for low temperature CO2 capture

Despite substantial progress in the use of renewable energy, fossil fuel still accounts for 80% of global energy sources, which led to 34.9 gigatons of CO2 emissions in 2021. One feasible solution to this problem is the widespread deployment of CO2 capture facilities at large point sources, e.g., coal-fired power plants, which account for over 30% of global CO2 emissions. However, the availability of an economically affordable CO2 capture process is still a grand challenge as the conventional technologies suffer from huge energy requirement (3.5-4.0 Gigajoule per ton of CO2, GJ.tCO2-1) and large equipment size. CATNA-CO2 will respond to this global challenge by combining and developing two emerging technologies, nonaqueous absorbents and catalyst-aided solvent regeneration, to enable an energy-efficient CO2 capture from a typical combustion flue gas (12 v/v% CO2). A smart selection of diluent with a lower heat capacity than water will lower the energy consumption, while catalyst-mediated regeneration will optimize the CO2 desorption at a low temperature, further reducing the regeneration energy consumption. CATNA-CO2 will (i) develop inexpensive catalysts to enable a low-temperature CO2 capture process using a nonaqueous absorbent, and (ii) evaluate the catalytic regeneration process on a bench-scale unit with a focus on desorption kinetics, interfacial area, mass transfer coefficients, and regeneration heat duty. Moreover, synergistic benefits of nonaqueous absorbent and catalytic regeneration on the overall CO2 capture process will be evaluated to assess the reduction in equipment sizing. Solvent regeneration at a low temperature can enable efficient capture facilities to be installed at a wide range of industrial sites to achieve EU 2030 targets of at least 55% reduction in CO2 emissions.