Comprehensive Study of the Impact of Steam on Polyethyleneimine on Silica for CO2 Capture

An amine sorbent, prepared by impregnation of polyethyleneimine on silica, was tested for steam stability. The stability of the sorbent was investigated in a fixed bed reactor using multiple steam cycles of 90 vol % H2O/He at 105 degrees C, and the gas effluent was monitored with a mass spectrometer. CO2 uptake of sorbent was found to decrease with repeated exposure to steam. Characterization of the spent sorbent using N-2 physisorption, SEM, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the decrease in CO2 loading can possibly be attributed to a reagglomeration of the amine in the pores of the silica. No support effect was found in this study. The commercial SiO2 used, Cariact G10, was found to be stable under the conditions used. While it was found that subjecting the sorbent to several steam cycles decreased its CO2 uptake, a continuous exposure of the sorbent to steam did not have a significant performance impact. A silanated sorbent, consisting of a mixture of PEI and aminopropyltriethoxysilane on SiO2 support, was also investigated for steam stability. Similarly to the nonsilanated sorbent, the CO2 loading of this sorbent decreased upon steam exposure, although a mechanism for this change has not been postulated at this time.