System and method for carbon dioxide capture and sequestration

• US 9,433,896 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Thermostat Operations LLC
• Original Assignee: Graciela Chichilnisky
• Inventors: Eisenberger, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Christopher P
• Application Number:
  US14/643,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20150283501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/304 of sodium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/604 Hydroxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/204 Amines
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/104 Alumina
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/106 Silica or silicates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/20 Organic adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/25 Coated, impregnated or composite adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/06 Polluted air
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/4009 using hot gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/04 with stationary adsorbents B01D53/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0462 Temperature swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/08 according to the "moving bed" method
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/81 Solid phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/82 with stationary reactants
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/83 with moving reactants
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/96 Regeneration, reactivation or recycling of reactants
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/08 comprising aluminium oxide or hydroxide; comprising bauxite
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/103 comprising silica
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/22 : comprising organic material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/262 : obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. obtained by polycondensation macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds per se C08G
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28016 : Particle form
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28042 : Shaped bodies; Monolithic structures
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28097 : being coated, filled or plugged with specific compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3425 : of sorbents or filter aids comprising organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3466 : with steam
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0857 : 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/151 : Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions, e.g. CO2

Abstract

A method and a system for removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, using a sorbent under ambient conditions, to obtain relatively pure CO₂. The CO₂ is removed from the sorbent using process heat, preferably in the form of steam, at a temperature in the range of not greater than about 130° C., to capture the relatively pure CO₂. Increased efficiency can be achieved by admixing with the ambient air, prior to contacting the sorbent, a minor amount of a preferably pretreated effluent gas containing a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. The captured carbon dioxide can be stored for further use, or sequestered permanently. The system provides the sorbent substrate and equipment for carrying out the above method, and for obtaining purified carbon dioxide for further use in agriculture and chemical processes, or for permanent sequestration.

Claims

1. A system for removing carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide laden air, the system comprising:

a carbon dioxide capture structure comprising a porous solid mass having a high surface area and an amine sorbent distributed along the surface area of the porous solid mass and that is capable of reversibly adsorbing, or binding, to carbon dioxide,

an air conduit, open at one end to the atmosphere and at a second end to the capture structure, for bringing a flow of carbon dioxide-laden ambient air to and through the carbon dioxide capture structure at a first location,

a sealable regeneration chamber capable of containing the capture structure at a second location;

carriage means for moving the capture structure between the first and the second locations;

a source of process heat steam for providing steam at a temperature of not greater than 120°

C.;

a hot fluid conduit connected to the source of process heat steam and to the sealable regeneration chamber for directing such process heat steam at the carbon dioxide-loaded sorbent on the capture structure in the regeneration chamber to strip carbon dioxide from the sorbent; and

a fluid conduit for carrying the separated carbon dioxide away from the regeneration chamber.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the porous solid mass comprises a highly porous monolithic ceramic structure which supports along its surface area the amine sorbent.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the porous solid mass is in the form of a vertically oriented carbon capture structure holding the monolithic ceramic structure, and further comprising a capture chamber for containing the capture structure and in fluid flow relationship with the air conduit;

and wherein

the carriage alternately moves the sorbent frame between the capture chamber and the regeneration chamber.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the hot fluid conduit carries saturated steam and further comprising pressure means for removing residual air from the regeneration chamber and from the capture structure when it is located in the regeneration chamber before introducing the saturated steam into the regeneration chamber.

6. The system of claim 4 further comprising a CO2 measuring detector located at the exit from the capture chamber to measure the CO2 content of air after contacting the capture structure, so as to determine when to remove the capture structure from the capture chamber, and a CO2 measuring detector located, at the exit from the regeneration chamber to determine when to halt the flow of steam and remove the capture structure from the regeneration chamber.

7. The system of claim 4 comprising a pair of vertically oriented carbon capture structures wherein the carriage moves each such vertically oriented carbon capture structure alternately and successively to the capture chamber and to the regeneration chamber while the other of the pair of vertically oriented carbon capture structures is being moved in the opposite direction, such that when one such vertically oriented carbon capture structure is being heated with process heat to separate the previously adsorbed carbon dioxide from the sorbent and regenerate the sorbent on the porous support, the other vertically oriented carbon capture structure is in the capture chamber adsorbing CO2 from the air.

8. The system of claim 4 for capturing carbon dioxide from ambient air, by utilizing energy from a primary production process with generated primary usable energy and waste process heat, and said primary process emitting one or more effluent gases carrying effluent gas heat, the system comprising, in combination:

heat exchanger hardware;

conduits for conducting waste process heat from said primary process to said heat exchanger hardware, said conducted process heat characterized as being substantially independent of said effluent gas heat;

a boiler in fluid flow connection with the conduits and designed for utilizing a portion of said conducted process heat to co-generate saturated steam, the boiler being in fluid flow relationship with the hot fluid conduit to bring saturated steam to the regeneration chamber;

a pump for removing air from the regeneration chamber, and for removing pressurized carbon dioxide released from the sorbent held on the monolithic ceramic structure while in fluid flow connection with the fluid conduit; and

storage means for holding the pressurized carbon dioxide carried from the regeneration chamber through the fluid conduit.

2. The system of claim wherein the porous solid mass comprises a bed of highly porous silica particle, where each particle supports on its surfaces the amine sorbent.