Low Energy Carbon Capture via Electrochemically Induced pH Swing with Electrochemical Rebalancing

We demonstrate a carbon capture system based on pH swing cycles driven through proton-coupled electron transfer of sodium (3,3’-(phenazine-2,3-diylbis(oxy))bis(propane-1-sulfonate)) (DSPZ) molecules. Electrochemical reduction of DSPZ causes an increase of hydroxide concentration, which absorbs CO2; subsequent electrochemical oxidation of the reduced DSPZ consumes the hydroxide, causing CO2 outgassing. The measured electrical work of separating CO2 from a binary mixture with N2, at CO2 inlet partial pressures ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 bar, and releasing to a pure CO2 exit stream at 1.0 bar, was measured for electrical current densities of 20 to 150 mA/ cm2. The work for separating CO2 from a 0.1 bar inlet and concentrating into 1 bar exit is 61.3 kJ/molCO2 at a current density of 20 mA/cm2 and extrapolates to 57.1 kJ/molCO2 in the low-current-density limit. At this limit, the cycle work for capture from 0.4 mbar extrapolates to 108-212 kJ/ molCO2 depending on the initial composition of the electrolyte. We also introduce an electrochemical rebalancing method that extends cell lifetime by recovering the initial electrolyte composition after it is perturbed by side reactions. We discuss the implications of these results for future low-energy electrochemical carbon capture devices.

CO2 Absorption Using Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactors: Introducing pH Swing Absorption (pHSA) to Overcome Purity Limitation

Recently, membrane contactors have gained more popularity in the field of CO2 removal; however, achieving high purity and competitive recovery for poor soluble gas (H2, N2, or CH4) remains elusive. Hence, a novel process for CO2 removal from a mixture of gases using hollow fiber membrane contactors is investigated theoretically and experimentally. A theoretical model is constructed to show that the dissolved residual CO2 hinders the capacity of the absorbent when it is regenerated. This model, backed up by experimental investigation, proves that achieving a purity > 99% without consuming excessive chemicals or energy remains challenging in a closed-loop system. As a solution, a novel strategy is proposed: the pH Swing Absorption which consists of manipulating the acido–basic equilibrium of CO2 in the absorption and desorption stages by injecting moderate acid and base amount. It aims at decreasing CO2 residual content in the regenerated absorbent, by converting CO2 into its ionic counterparts (HCO3− or CO32−) before absorption and improving CO2 degassing before desorption. Therefore, this strategy unlocks the theoretical limitation due to equilibrium with CO2 residual content in the absorbent and increases considerably the maximum achievable purity. Results also show the dependency of the performance on operating conditions such as total gas pressure and liquid flowrate. For N2/CO2 mixture, this process achieved a nitrogen purity of 99.97% with a N2 recovery rate of 94.13%. Similarly, for H2/CO2 mixture, a maximum H2 purity of 99.96% and recovery rate of 93.96% was obtained using this process. Moreover, the proposed patented process could potentially reduce energy or chemicals consumption.

pH swing cycle for CO2 capture electrochemically driven through proton-coupled electron transfer

This study analyzes the energetic cost of CO2 separation using a pH swing created by electrochemical redox reactions of organic molecules involving PCET in aqueous electrolyte, and compares the experimental energetic cost to other methods.