AIR COLLECTOR WITH FUNCTIONALIZED ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FOR CAPTURING AMBIENT CO2

• US 20120220019A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Carbon Sink, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Carbon Sink, Inc.
• Inventors: Lackner, Klaus S.
• Application Number:
  US13/386,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20120220019A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/257.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/404 of calcium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/604 Hydroxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/1035 Sea water
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/206 Ion exchange resins
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/302 Sulfur oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/404 Nitrogen oxides other than dinitrogen oxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/0283 Flue gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/06 Polluted air
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/02 by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography solid sorbent compositions B01J20/00, preparation of inorganic compounds or elements C01
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/06 with moving adsorbents, e.g. rotating beds B01D53/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1437 Pretreatment by adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1475 Removing carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

Methods, systems, apparatuses and compositions for extracting selected gases from a gas stream are provided. In some embodiments the invention involve a process of bringing a gas stream in contact with a primary sorbent, releasing a selected gas from the primary sorbent to create a selected gas-enriched gas mixture, and bringing the selected gas-enriched gas mixture in contact with an aqueous solution. The aqueous solution absorbs the selected gas from the selected gas-enriched gas mixture. In some embodiments, the selected gas is carbon dioxide.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method for extracting a selected gas from ambient air comprising bringing ambient air in contact with a primary sorbent;

releasing the selected gas from the primary sorbent to create a selected gas-enriched gas mixture; and

bringing the selected gas-enriched gas mixture in contact with an aqueous solution, by a process selected from the group consisting of;

(a) bubbling the selected gas-enriched gas mixture into the aqueous solution, wherein said aqueous solution is in a chamber into which aqueous solution enters at the top and from which a gas-enriched aqueous solution exits at the bottom;

(b) transferring the selected gas-enriched mixture through porous hydrophobic tubes; and

(c) exposing the selected gas-enriched gas mixture to a foam material comprising the aqueous solution;

wherein the aqueous solution absorbs gas from the selected gas-enriched gas mixture.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the selected gas is selected from the group consisting of CO₂, NO_x, and SO₂.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein there is a gaseous gap between the primary sorbent and the aqueous solution.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the aqueous solution does not come into direct contact with the primary sorbent material.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the aqueous solution is flowed over surfaces that allow the aqueous solution to absorb carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide-enriched gas mixture.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the aqueous solution is water and is in contact with minerals from which alkali ions can be extracted.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said water is undersaturated in carbonate ions.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the water is continuously acidified with CO₂ in order to accelerate dissolution of alkali ions.

49. The method of claim 31, wherein the aqueous solution is contained in or flows through a sponge or foam.

50. A composition comprising a CO₂ sequestering product, wherein the CO₂ sequestering product comprises carbon from ambient CO₂ from a gas mixture released from a primary sorbent.

51. The composition according to claim 50, wherein the CO₂ sequestering product is a carbonate compound composition, a hydroxide composition, a bicarbonate composition, or a mixture thereof.

52. The composition according to claim 51, wherein the carbonate compound composition comprises a precipitate from an alkaline-earth metal-containing water.

53. The composition of claim 51, wherein the δ

¹³C is about 3% to about −

35‰

.

54. The composition of claim 51, wherein the ¹⁴C isotopic fraction is about 0.05 parts per trillion to about 2 parts per trillion.

55. The composition of claim 51, wherein the CO₂ sequestering product ranges from about 1% to about 5% w/w.

56. The composition of claim 51, wherein the CO₂ sequestering product ranges from about 5 to 75% w/w.

57. The composition of claim 50, wherein the percentage of CO₂ in said gas mixture is about 1% to about 10%.

58. The composition of claim 50, wherein the percentage of CO₂ in said gas mixture is about 90% to about 100%.

59. The composition of claim 50, wherein the composition is used to store CO₂, feed algae, or dissolve alkaline metals.

60. The composition of claim 50, wherein the composition is used to store CO₂ in the ocean.

61. A new composition comprising a consumable carbon sequestering product, said consumable carbon sequestering product comprising a metastable carbonate compound that is more stable in saltwater than in freshwater, wherein one or more ratios of carbon isotopes in said metastable carbonate compound reflects the relative isotope composition of ambient air.

62. The composition of claim 61, wherein the metastable carbonate compound has a δ

¹³C of −

10‰

to −

3‰

.

63. The composition of claim 61, wherein the metastable carbonate compound has a δ

¹³C of about 0.05 parts per trillion to about 1 part per trillion.

64. The composition of claim 61, wherein the metastable carbonate compound is a calcium carbonate, and a magnesium carbonate, or a calcium magnesium carbonate.

65. The composition of claim 61, wherein the metastable carbonate compound is selected from the group consisting of:

aragonite, vaterite, ikaite, amorphous calcium carbonate, barringtonite, nesquehonite, lansfordite, huntite, and sergeevite.

66. A method for producing a metastable carbonate compound, comprising capturing CO₂ from ambient air using a sorbent;

releasing CO₂ from said sorbent; and

precipitating a metastable carbonate compound from a solution comprising CO₂ released from said sorbent, wherein said metastable carbonate compound is more stable in saltwater than in freshwater.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein one or more ratios of carbon isotopes in said metastable carbonate compound reflects the relative isotope composition of ambient air.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the metastable carbonate compound has a δ

¹³C of −

10‰

to −

3‰

.

69. The method of claim 67, wherein the metastable carbonate compound has a carbon isotopic fraction of ¹⁴C of about 0.05 parts per trillion to about 1 part per trillion.

70. The method of claim 66, wherein the metastable carbonate compound is a calcium carbonate, a magnesium carbonate, or a calcium magnesium carbonate.

71. The method of claim 66, wherein the metastable carbonate compound is selected from the group consisting of:

aragonite, vaterite, ikaite, amorphous calcium carbonate, barringtonite, nesquehonite, lansfordite, huntite, and sergeevite.

72. The method of claim 66, wherein the sorbent is an anion exchange material.

73. The method of claim 66, wherein CO₂ is released from said sorbent by wetting said sorbent with liquid water or water vapor.

74. A method for the capture of CO₂ from air comprising the steps of:

exposing a coated sorbent to ambient air, wherein said coated sorbent comprises a sorbent and a coating comprising a membrane that is hydrophobic and gas-permeable; and

releasing CO₂ captured by said coated sorbent by immersing said coated sorbent in an algae culture comprising an alkaline brine.