Evaluation of MEA 5M performance at different CO2 concentrations of flue gas tested at a CO2 capture lab-scale plant

Abstract

Chemical absorption is the most effective and mature post-combustion alternative that might be applied for carbon capture in fossilfuel power plants and other energy-intensive industries such as cement production, refineries and iron and steel manufacturing. In respect to the cement production, inherent CO2 emissions produced during the calcination of limestone contributes around 60% of the total CO2 emissions and they can be only reduced using CCS. A test campaign was carried out in a 0.48 kg CO2/h lab-scale CO2 capture plant using a synthetic flue gas derived from both a conventional fossil-fuel power plant (15%v/v CO2) and a cement plant (20%v/v). The use of a higher CO2 concentrated flue gas enhanced the CO2 absorption and hence the overall CO2 capture process. Higher CO2 concentrations also increased the solvent cyclic capacity which was displaced to higher values as CO2 concentration shifted from 15%v/v CO2 to 20%v/v CO2. A 29% reduction of the energy consumption per ton of CO2 was achieved in the stripper as flue gas shifted from 15%v/v CO2 to 20%v/v, showing post-combustion capture based on chemical absorption as a potential approach to mitigate CO2 emissions originating from cement production.