System and method for carbon dioxide capture and sequestration

• US 9,878,286 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Thermostat Operations LLC
• Original Assignee: Peter Eisenberger
• Inventors: Eisenberger, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Christopher P
• Application Number:
  US15/227,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20170113184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• 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 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 and to regenerate the sorbent for repeated use. 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 above method provides purified carbon dioxide for further use in agriculture and chemical processes, or for permanent sequestration.

Claims

1. A method capable of capturing carbon dioxide from ambient air under ambient conditions, the method comprising the individual steps of:

mixing treated effluent gases with ambient air flow to form an ambient air-effluent gas blend flow containing not more than 25% effluent gas by volume,

alternately repeatedly exposing a sorbent for carbon dioxide to capture and stripping/regeneration system stages, the stages comprising;

exposing said sorbent to the ambient air-effluent gas blend flow during said capture stage, at a capture position, so as to enable said sorbent to capture carbon dioxide from said ambient air-effluent gas blend flow so as to form CO₂ laden sorbent, and

exposing said CO₂ laden sorbent to co-generated steam, the steam being formed by co-generated process heat from a primary production process to co-generate the steam superheated at ambient pressure, during the stripping/regeneration phase, in a sealed regeneration chamber, after pumping out air or any other gas entering the sealed regeneration chamber with the CO₂ laden sorbent to form at least a partial vacuum, so as to cause the stripping of such captured carbon dioxide from the sorbent and form a carbon dioxide/water exiting mixture.

2. The method of claim 1 for capturing carbon dioxide from the ambient air-effluent gas blend wherein the ambient air-effluent gas blend flow, contains not more than 5% effluent gas and further comprising the individual steps of:

separating water from the carbon dioxide/water exiting mixture to provide a more concentrated carbon dioxide gas and exhausting the more concentrated carbon dioxide gas from the regeneration chamber;

cooling the sorbent structure within the regeneration chamber; and

moving the cooled sorbent structure from the regeneration chamber to a position where it is again contacted with the air-effluent gas blend flow; and

continuing to alternately move the sorbent structure between the CO₂-rich gas adsorbing position and the regeneration chamber to cyclically adsorb CO₂ and regenerate the sorbent during multiple cycles.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of sensing carbon dioxide concentrations in the gas flow entering and exiting the capture position.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of sensing carbon dioxide concentration within said regeneration chamber.