Pilot scale testing and modeling of enzymatic reactive absorption in packed columns for CO2 capture

Abstract Efficient processes for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture from post-combustion flue gases are required to combat global climate change. A key stage in post-combustion capture is selective CO 2 separation from the flue gas stream. Separation of CO 2 from mixed gases using countercurrent gas–liquid absorption in packed columns is a well-established technology for treatment of industrial gas streams. This approach can be adapted to remove CO 2 from post-combustion flue gas, however, process improvements are needed to minimize the corresponding capital costs and energy requirements. Special challenges for CO 2 recovery from flue gas arise from the very large volumes of gas to be processed, the need to operate the process with an inlet flue gas stream at atmospheric pressure, and the high amount of energy required to regenerate the absorption liquid. Aqueous solutions of the tertiary amine N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) are commercially used for high pressure CO 2 separation due to high loading capacity for CO 2 , relatively good chemical and thermal stability and low volatility. Application of MDEA-based solutions to ambient pressure separations, such as CO 2 capture from flue gases, is challenging since high reaction rates are required. High reaction rates for the MDEA system are achievable at high temperatures, which is conflicting with the preference of low temperatures to exploit high absorption capacity. This conflict can be overcome with the addition of a rate enhancing catalyst that enables high reaction rates at low temperatures. To put this innovative breakthrough technology closer to industrial application CO 2 absorption in 30–50 wt.% aqueous solutions of MDEA in absence and presence of the CO 2 absorption enhancing enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) was evaluated in pilot scale. The pilot scale investigation employed a packed column for parametric testing. Test variables included the liquid phase composition (30–50 wt.% MDEA), the column liquid load (8–24 m 3  m −2  h −1 ), the absorber temperature (20–40 °C), and the application of CA in a dissolved or immobilized form. The CO 2 absorption mass transfer enhancement provided by CA was measured. In the presence of dissolved CA, 30 wt.% aqueous MDEA showed superior performance in terms of absorption rates compared to operation using 50 wt.% MDEA(aq). No significant change in the CO 2 absorption rate was observed for operation at given loads between 20 °C and 40 °C with dissolved CA present. At 20 °C with 30 wt.% MDEA the absorption rate with dissolved CA increased by more than 9 times compared to the absorption rate without enzyme. These results broaden the operation window for efficient CO 2 absorption using MDEA solutions and allow for the exploitation of new process regimes, wherein high equilibrium loadings are achievable by applying lower absorption temperatures. Based on the experimental results obtained with dissolved CA, a simplified rate-based model of enzymatic reactive absorption (ERA), accounting for enzyme accelerated reaction kinetics, was developed which was capable of accurately predicting CO 2 absorption rate when compared with experimental data. Implemented in a process simulator the model allows for the detailed investigation of the process behavior and the complex interactions of ab- and desorption operations in the presence of the CA. The validated model is intended to guide future experimental work as well as further performance optimization. In addition to the work exploiting the catalyst in its free form, the utilization of CA immobilized in a granular form and held in the pockets of Katapak-SP packing was successfully demonstrated.