Carbon dioxide sequestration through formation of group-2 carbonates and silicon dioxide

• US 8,795,508 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carbonfree Chemicals Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Skyonic Corp.
• Inventors: Jones, Joe David
• Primary Examiner(s): Phasge, Arun S
• Application Number:
  US12/972,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20110203939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 205/510, 205/514, 205/517, 423/158, 423/165
• US Class Current: 205/510
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/502 Hydrochloric acid
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/604 Hydroxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

The present invention relates to carbon dioxide sequestration, including processes in which group-2 silicates are used to remove carbon dioxide from waste streams to form corresponding group-2 carbonates and silica.

Claims

1. A method of sequestering carbon dioxide produced by a source, comprising:

(a) obtaining a hydroxide salt in an aqueous mixture;

(b) admixing the hydroxide salt with carbon dioxide produced by the source under conditions suitable to form a first carbonate salt in a first admixture;

(c) chlorinating a group-2 silicate mineral with hydrochloric acid under conditions suitable to form a corresponding group-2 chloride salt, water, and silicon dioxide;

(d) admixing the group-2 chloride salt with the first carbonate salt under conditions suitable to form a group-2 carbonate salt in a second admixture; and

(e) separating said group-2 carbonate salt from the admixture,

wherein the reaction of step (d) occurs in an electrochemical cell which generates a first source of electrical energy, and whereby the carbon dioxide is sequestered into a mineral product form.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) obtaining a second chloride salt; and

(g) reacting the second chloride salt under chloralkali conditions to form products comprising chlorine, hydrogen and a hydroxide salt.

3. The method of claim 2, where some or all of the hydroxide salt in step (b) is obtained from step (g).

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(h) obtaining chlorine; and

(i) liquefying the chlorine under photolytic conditions to form hydrogen chloride.

5. The method of claim 4, where some or all of the chlorine in step (h) is obtained from step (g).

6. The method of claim 4, where some or all of the hydrogen chloride of step (i) is used to chlorinate the group-2 silicate mineral in step (c).

7. The method of claim 1, where step (d) further comprises:

(d)(1) reacting the first carbonate salt with a proton source under conditions suitable to form a first bicarbonate salt; and

(d)(2) reacting the first bicarbonate salt with the group-2 chloride salt to form the group-2 carbonate salt.

8. The method of claim 7, where the reaction of step (d)(2) further comprises the formation of a second chloride salt.

9. The method of claim 8, where some or all of the second chloride salt in step (f) is obtained from step (d)(2).

10. The method of claim 1, where the first source of electrical energy is generated with greater than 70% efficiency based on the theoretical maximum potential of the electrochemical cell.

11. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the first source of energy is used to drive a part of the reaction of step (g).

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(j) using some or all of the hydrogen of step (g) to generate a second source of energy.

13. The method of claim 12, where some or all of the second source of energy is used to drive a part of the reaction of step (g).

14. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the hydroxide salt is sodium hydroxide.

15. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the first carbonate salt is sodium carbonate.

16. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the group-2 silicate mineral is a group-2 inosilicate.

17. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the group-2 silicate mineral is CaSiO₃.

18. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the group-2 silicate mineral is MgSiO₃.

19. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the group-2 chloride salt is CaCl₂.

20. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the group-2 chloride salt is MgCl₂.

21. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the group-2 carbonate salt is CaCO₃.

22. The method of claim 1, where some or all of the group-2 carbonate salt is MgCO₃.

23. The method of claim 2, where some or all of the second chloride salt is NaCl.

24. The method of claim 4, where the photolytic condition comprises radiation having a wavelength from about 200 nm to about 400 nm.

25. The method of claim 24, where the wavelength is about 254 nm.

26. The method of claim 24, where the wavelength is about 363 nm.

27. The method of claim 1, where obtaining the hydroxide comprises:

(a)(1) obtaining a group-1 or group-2 salt;

(a)(2) admixing the salt with acid and water, acid and steam, or acid, water, and steam to produce a protonated brine solution; and

(a)(3) electrolyzing the protonated brine solution to produce a hydroxide.