PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS FOR THE SEQUESTRATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE UTILIZING EFFLUENT STREAMS

• US 20070217981A1
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Carbon Trap Technologies, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Carbon Trap Technologies, L.P.
• Inventors: Van Essendelft, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US11/686,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20070217981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 423/220
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1475 Removing carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/36 by precipitation reactions in aqueous solutions C01B13/328 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/60 Preparation of carbonates or bicarbonates in general of percarbonates C01B15/10; of specific carbonates or bicarbonates according to the cation C01B-C01G
• CPC Class Codes: C01C 1/28 Methods of preparing ammonium salts in general
• CPC Class Codes: C01F 11/18 Carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C01F 17/247 Carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C01F 5/24 Magnesium carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/151 Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, e.g. CO2

Abstract

Disclosed are processes and systems for sequestering carbon dioxide from a flue gas effluent from a parent process such as a coal-fired electric power plant. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a mineral having a metal is dissolved with an acid to provide a solution having a predetermined pH. Carbon dioxide from the flue gas effluent and a base are added to the solution to provide a metal carbonate reaction to precipitate a metal carbonate, e.g., magnesium carbonate, from the solution. Heat, which may be supplied by the flue gas effluent, is used to power a base management system for recovering used base form the process.

Claims

1. A method for sequestering carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide-generating source, comprising:

dissolving at least a portion of a mineral with an acid, the mineral comprising a metal or cations thereof, to provide an acidic mineral solution comprising metal cations and protons;

contacting at least a portion of the metal cations with a base to give rise to a metal-containing solid precipitant and a supernatant;

contacting flue gas from the carbon dioxide-generating source to at least a portion of the metal cations, or to at least a portion of the supernatant, or both, wherein the flue gas comprises carbon dioxide; and

recovering base from the supernatant using, wherein heat is utilized in recovering the base from the supernatant.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acid and concentration of the acid in the acidic mineral solution is selected so as to ensure that the pH of the acidic mineral solution is less than 4.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acid comprises, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, carbonic acid, perchloric acid, chloric acid, hypochloric acid, acetic acid, phosphoric acid, or any combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral is dissolved at a temperature in the range of from about 25°

C. to about 200°

C.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral is dissolved at a temperature in excess of the normal boiling point of the acid and at a pressure greater than 1 atm.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral is dissolved using autogenous grinding, non-autogenous grinding, no grinding, or any combination thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal ions and base are contacted in one or more crystallizers, one or more reactive adsorption columns, or both.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising removing undissolvable solids from the acidic mineral solution.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flue gas and metal ions are contacted by bubbling the flue gas into the solution comprising the metal cations, using a bubble tray tower, using a packed column, using a sparger, spraying the solution as a mist in a gaseous stream comprising the flue gas, using a stripper, adapting a scrubber system, using a gas absorption column, or any combination thereof.

10. A precipitant made according to the method of claim 1.

11. The precipitant made according to claim 10, wherein the precipitant comprises a solid oxide, hydroxide or salt of iron, magnesium, calcium, copper, manganese, chromium, sodium, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more different metal salts are precipitated.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal salts include iron hydroxide and magnesium carbonate.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal salts are substantially pure.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide generating source includes a hydrocarbon-fueled power system, a hydrocarbon-fueled engine for producing useful work, a chemical process system, a heating system, a cement kiln, a synthetic fuels generation system, or any combination thereof.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral is dissolved by contacting the mineral with the acid in a reactor under autogenous grinding conditions, semiautogenous grinding conditions, non-grinding conditions, or any combination thereof.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein grinding media is used to aid the dissolution of the mineral.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein grinding media includes glass beads, silicon carbide beads, ceramic beads, steel beads, coated steel beads, or any combination thereof.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral includes olivine, serpentine, antigorite, basaltic formations, brucite, lizardite, cement, asbestos, or any combination thereof.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal includes iron, magnesium, calcium, copper, manganese, chromium, sodium, or combination thereof.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal cations include Fe+2, Fe+3, Mg+2, Mn+2, Cr+2, Cr+3, Na+, Zn+2, Al+3 or any combination thereof.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acid mineral solution and the base are mixed in a first crystallizer to give rise to the metal-containing solid precipitant and a first supernatant.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the pH of the contents in the first crystallizer is in the range of from about 5 to about 14.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first supernatant and a base are mixed in a second crystallizer with the flue gas to give rise to a second metal-containing solid precipitant and a second supernatant.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the pH of the contents in the second crystallizer is in the range of from about 6 to about 14.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first supernatant and a base are mixed in an adsorption column or a reactive adsorption column with the flue gas to give rise to a second metal-containing solid precipitant and a second supernatant.

27. The method according to claim 22, further comprising exchanging positive metal ions with protons using a high pressure acid recycle loop in fluidic communication with ion exchange media.

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein the base includes ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, or any combination thereof.

29. The method according to claim 1, wherein the base is removed from the supernatant using an ammonium-based refrigeration system, an ion-exchange system, a crystallizer, one or more ion exchange membranes, a solar pond, an evaporative cooling tower, or any combination thereof.

30. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flue gas is fluidically communicated into one or more of the following process units:

a heat exchanger, a conduit for fluidically delivering the flue gas to a crystallizer, a reactive absorber, an absorber, a stripping column, a vapor-liquid continuously stirred tank reactor, a vapor-liquid plug flow reactor, vapor-liquid batch reactor, or a vapor-liquid semi-batch reactor.

31. A method for producing one or more substantially pure metal salts from a mineral, comprising:

dissolving at least a portion of a mineral with an acid, the mineral comprising a metal or cations thereof, to provide an acidic mineral solution comprising metal cations and protons;

contacting at least a portion of the metal cations with a base to give rise to a metal salt-containing solid precipitant and a supernatant;

recovering base from the supernatant, wherein heat is utilized in recovering the base from the supernatant; and

contacting flue gas from a carbon dioxide-generating source to at least a portion of the metal cations, or to at least a portion of the supernatant, or both, wherein the flue gas comprises carbon dioxide.

32. A substantially pure metal salt produced according to the method of claim 31.

33. A substantially pure metal salt produced according to the method of claim 31, wherein the metal salt has a purity of greater than about 98 percent based on weight.

34. A sequestration system for sequestering carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide-generating source, comprising:

a mineral dissolving system for dissolving at least a portion of a mineral with an acid, wherein the mineral comprises metal or cations thereof, the mineral dissolving system capable of providing an acidic mineral solution comprising metal cations and protons;

a metal salt precipitation system for contacting metal cations received from the mineral dissolving system with base to give rise to a metal salt-containing solid precipitant and a supernatant;

a base management system for feeding base into the metal salt precipitation system and for recovering base from the supernatant; and

a flue gas management system capable of;

receiving flue gas comprising carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide-generating source;

contacting at least a portion of the flue gas to at least a portion of the metal cations, or to at least a portion of the supernatant, or both; and

utilizing heat for recovering at least a portion of the base from the supernatant in the base management system.

35. The sequestration system according to claim 34, wherein the carbon dioxide generating source includes a hydrocarbon-fueled power plant, a hydrocarbon-fueled engine for producing useful work, a chemical process factory, a heating system, a cement kiln, a synthetic fuels plant, or any combination thereof.

36. The sequestration system according to claim 34, wherein the mineral dissolving system includes a reactor capable of contacting the mineral with the acid under autogenous grinding conditions, semiautogenous grinding conditions, non-grinding conditions, or any combination thereof.

37. The sequestration system according to claim 36, wherein the reactor includes grinding media.

38. The sequestration system according to claim 34, wherein the minerals include olivine, serpentine, antigorite, basaltic formations, brucite, lizardite, cement or any combination thereof.

39. The sequestration system according to claim 34, wherein the metal salt precipitation system comprises a crystallizer capable of receiving acid mineral solution directly or indirectly from the mineral dissolving system, wherein the crystallizer is further capable of receiving the base to give rise to the metal-containing solid precipitant and a supernatant.

40. The sequestration system according to claim 39, wherein the metal salt precipitation system further comprises a second crystallizer capable of receiving acid mineral solution directly or indirectly from the supernatant arising from the first crystallizer, wherein the second crystallizer is further capable of receiving a base and at least a portion of the flue gas to give rise to a second metal-containing solid precipitant and a supernatant.

41. The sequestration system according to claim 39, wherein the metal salt precipitation system further comprises a reactive adsorption column capable of receiving acid mineral solution directly or indirectly from the supernatant arising from the first crystallizer, wherein the reactive adsorption column is further capable of receiving a base and at least a portion of the flue gas to give rise to a second metal-containing solid precipitant and a supernatant.

42. The sequestration system according to claim 39, wherein the metal salt precipitation system further comprises a high pressure acid recycle loop in fluidic communication with ion exchange media capable of exchanging positive metal ions with protons.

43. The sequestration system according to claim 34, wherein the base management system comprises an ammonium-based refrigeration system, an ion-exchange system, a crystallizer, one or more ion exchange membranes, or any combination thereof.

44. The sequestration system according to claim 34, wherein the devices for recovering base from the supernatant comprises an ammonium-based refrigeration system, an ion-exchange system, a crystallizer, a solar pond, an evaporative cooling tower, or any combination thereof.

45. The sequestration system according to claim 34, wherein the flue gas management system comprises a heat exchanger, a conduit for fluidically delivering the flue gas to a crystallizer, a reactive absorber, an absorber, a stripping column, a vapor-liquid continuously stirred tank reactor, a vapor-liquid plug flow reactor, vapor-liquid batch reactor, a vapor-liquid semi-batch reactor, or any combination thereof.