Advances in the development of CO2 capture solvents

The paper presents Cansolv's advances in the development of new solvents for CO2 Capture; targeting lower energy consumption and stability in oxidative environment. The R&D approach, based on a three-stage plan, is exemplified with the development of CANSOLV DC-201 solvent. The first stage comprises the testing of new solvents via screening at the laboratory scale: loading-stripping experiments, NMR investigation and laboratory pilot test allows for the proper ranking and selection of candidates. The second stage of the development comprises the testing of the solvents under real flue gas condition and at a larger scale. Two piloting campaigns are discussed, at a coal fired power plant and on a blast furnace off-gas, where some critical parameters were studied: effect of intercooling and packing height on performances; effect of contaminants contained in the gas on solvent stability. It was there possible to confirm the superior performances of CANSOLV DC-201. More importantly, at these pilot scales, the reduction in regeneration energy over MEA was more accurately accessible: +100% more capacity in the solvent and -35% less energy requirement. The third development stage consists in demonstrating the new solvent at a larger scale (50 tons CO2/day) and for an extended period of time. CANSOLV DC-201 new solvent will be tested on the CANSOLV SO2-CO2 Demonstration Plant in Wales, UK. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.