Amine absorber for carbon dioxide capture and processes for making and using the same

• US 8,377,173 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Akron
• Original Assignee: University of Akron
• Inventors: Chuang, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M
• Application Number:
  US12/741,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20100263534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 951/08, 951/12, 95135-137, 951/39, 959/00, 961/53, 961/54, 423/230, 42324401-24404, 423/228, 502/417, 502/539
• US Class Current: 95/135
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/80 Organic bases or salts
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/106 Silica or silicates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/108 Zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/304 Hydrogen sulfide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/306 Organic sulfur compounds, e.g. mercaptans
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/308 Carbonoxysulfide COS
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4009 using hot gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/402 using two beds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0462 Temperature swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/48 Sulfur compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3248 the functional group or the linking, spacer or anchoring group as a whole comprising at least one type of heteroatom selected from a nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur, these atoms not being part of the carrier as such
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3251 comprising at least two different types of heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen or sulphur
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3257 the functional group or the linking, spacer or anchoring group as a whole comprising at least one of the heteroatoms nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur together with at least one silicon atom, these atoms not being part of the carrier as such
• 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

The present invention generally relates to a process for the formation of a CO₂-selective absorption material and/or sulfur-selective absorption material. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a process for the formation of a CO₂-selective absorption material that comprises providing a solid material, providing an amine source, contacting the solid material with the amine source to absorb amine molecules on the surface of the solid material, and contacting the absorbing amine molecules on the solid material surface with a CO₂ stream such that upon contact with the amine and the solid material, CO₂ binds with the amine functional group of the amine molecule, reducing the potential for the interaction of the amine functional group with the solid surface and increasing amine sites available for CO₂ capture.

Claims

1. A process for the preparation of a CO₂-selective absorption material, the process comprising:

providing a solid material;

providing an amine source;

contacting the solid material with the amine source to absorb amine molecules on the surface of the solid material; and

contacting the absorbing amine molecules on the solid material surface with a CO₂ stream such that upon contact with the amine and the solid material, CO₂ binds with the amine functional group of the amine molecule, reducing the potential for the interaction of the amine functional group with the solid surface and increasing amine sites available for CO₂ capture.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the solid material is selected from silica, steel, zeolite, carbon-containing fly-ash, fly-ash, activated carbon, charcoal, carbonaceous material and iron powder.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the solid material is any solid, low polarity, material.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the resulting sorbent exhibits at least 2 characteristic IR bands, one at approximately 3282 cm⁻

1 and one at approximately 3354 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the amine source is a secondary or higher paraffinic or aromatic amine.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the amine source is a penta-amine.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the amine source is selected from tetraethylenepentamine and pentaethylenehexaamine.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the amine source is combined with a solvent.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the solvent contains an alcohol with one hydroxyl group and an alcohol with multiple hydroxyl groups.

10. The process of claim 8 wherein the solvent is selected from polypol, polyethylene glycol, propanol, butanol, ethanol, monoethanolamine, and diethanolamine.

11. The process of claim 8 wherein the solvent is an alcohol.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the alcohol has a boiling point below 135°

C. and evaporates off prior to CO₂ capture.

13. The process of claim 11 wherein the alcohol has a boiling point above 135°

C. and remains on the sorbent to increase CO₂ capture.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein the amine source is added to the solid material in increments from about 0.5 microns to 5 mL per gram of solid, to allow a solvent component in the amine source to evaporate before adding further amine source for absorption on the material surface.

15. The process of claim 1 wherein the amine source is added to the solid material subsequent to contacting the solid material with CO₂ gas.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein the solid material is contacted by the amine source and the CO₂ gas simultaneously.

17. The process of claim 1 wherein the amine functional group contains N, NH or NH₂ and serves as an amine site.

18. A process for the preparation of a sulfur containing selective absorption material, the process comprising:

providing a solid material;

providing an amine source;

contacting the solid material with the amine source to absorb amine molecules on the surface of the solid material; and

contacting the absorbing amine molecules on the solid material surface with a sulfur containing stream such that upon contact with the amine and the solid material, the sulfur containing material binds with the amine functional group of the amine molecule, reducing the potential for the interaction of the amine functional group with the solid surface and increasing amine sites available for the sulfur containing material capture.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein the sulfur containing material is selected from hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), carbonyl sulfide (COS), CS₂, Thiophene, dibenzothiophene, tetrahydrothiophene (THT), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), mercaptan, tert-butylmercaptan (TBM), 2-methyl-2-propanethiol, 1-propanethiol, isobutanethiol, 2-butanethiol, 1-butanethiol, 1-pentanethiol, 1-hexanethiol, and 1-heptanethiol.

20. A process for the capture and removal of CO₂ from a CO₂-containing stream the process comprising:

providing a housing having dispersed therein a sorbent selective for CO₂;

passing a CO₂-containing stream through the housing such that the CO₂-containing stream contacts the sorbent;

flushing the housing with steam to cause the sorbent to desorb CO₂ retained therein as a result of contact of the sorbent with the CO₂-containing stream; and

flushing the housing with air to remove the steam from the housing.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein the housing includes the sorbent dispersed therein in the form of at least one of a packed bed, a fluidized bed, dispersed on a metal monolith, or dispersed on a wire or mesh screen.

22. The process of claim 20 wherein the housing is a cylinder, having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, and having a sorbent-carrying wire dispersed therein.

23. The process of claim 22 wherein the sorbent comprises a solid material having dispersed on the surface thereof a CO₂-selective absorbing material.

24. The process of claim 23 wherein the solid material is high surface area silica and the CO₂-selective material is amine molecules.

25. The process of claim 20 wherein the CO₂-containing stream is a waste stream.

26. The process of claim 20 wherein the CO₂-containing stream is at a temperature of not higher than 70°

C.

27. The process of claim 20 wherein the CO₂-containing stream is at a temperature of not higher than 60°

C.

28. The process of claim 20 further including passing the desorbed CO₂ to a condensing unit that separates the desorbed CO₂ and the steam and condenses the steam while purifying the CO₂.