CO2 Capture Behavior of Shell during Calcination/Carbonation Cycles

The cyclic carbonation performances of shells as CO2 sorbents were investigated during multiple calcination/carbonation cycles. The carbonation kinetics of the shell and limestone are similar since they both exhibit a fast kinetically controlled reaction regime and a diffusion controlled reaction regime, but their carbonation rates differ between these two regions. Shell achieves the maximum carbonation conversion for carbonation at 680-700 degrees C. The mactra veneriformis shell and mussel shell exhibit higher carbonation conversions than limestone after several cycles at the same reaction conditions. The carbonation conversion of scallop shell is slightly higher than that of limestone after a series of cycles. The calcined shell appears more porous than calcined limestone, and possesses more pores > 230 nm, which allow large CO2 diffusion-carbonation reaction rates and higher conversion due to the increased surface area of the shell. The pores of the shell that are greater than 230 nm do not sinter significantly. The shell has more sodium ions than limestone, which probably leads to an improvement in the cyclic carbonation performance during the multiple calcination/carbonation cycles.