Advancing adsorption and membrane separation processes for the gigaton carbon capture challenge.
Reducing CO2 in the atmosphere and preventing its release from point-source emitters, such as coal and natural gas-fired power plants, is a global challenge measured in gigatons. Capturing CO2 at this scale will require a portfolio of gas-separation technologies to be applied over a range of applications in which the gas mixtures and operating conditions will vary. Chemical scrubbing using absorption is the current state-of-the-art technology. Considerably less attention has been given to other gas-separation technologies, including adsorption and membranes. It will take a range of creative solutions to reduce CO2 at scale, thereby slowing global warming and minimizing its potential negative environmental impacts. This review focuses on the current challenges of adsorption and membrane-separation processes. Technological advancement of these processes will lead to reduced cost, which will enable subsequent adoption for practical scaled-up application.
Department of Energy Resources Engineering, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; email: jen.wilcox@stanford.edu , rezahagh@stanford.edu , ecrupp@stanford.edu , jiajunhe@stanford.edu , kjlee99@stanford.edu.
Jennifer
J
Wilcox
Reza
R
Haghpanah
Erik C
EC
Rupp
Jiajun
J
He
Kyoungjin
K
Lee
D000327:Adsorption; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D057965:Carbon Sequestration; D003031:Coal; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D008567:Membranes, Artificial
D003031:Coal; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D002245:Carbon Dioxide
CO2 emissions mitigation; adsorption; carbon capture and sequestration; climate change; membranes; minimum thermodynamic work