Stability and regenerability of acivated carbon used for CO2 removal in pilot DR-VPSA unit in real power plant conditions

Abstract The world’s first results of stability and regenerability of activated carbon under flue gas conditions using DR-VPSA (Dual-Reflux Vacuum-Pressure Swing Adsorption) method have been presented. Such assessment is necessary in the light of practical applications of adsorbents in numerous adsorption-desorption cycles in a large-scale DR-VPSA adsorption unit. This is due to the fact that the useful life of an adsorbent has an effect of its costs and, as a consequence, the viability of the adsorption plant and its advantage over the absorption method of CO 2 capture using amine solutions. The assessment of the stability and regenerability of adsorbents was based on the analysis of activated carbon derived from a pilot DR-VPSA unit operating on real combustion gas for a period of 808 h. The pilot plant was set up under the Strategic Project in Tauron Wytwarzanie S.A. – The Łagisza Power Plant in Poland. The stability of activated carbon was determined by performing the full analysis of the physicochemical properties on a samples taken from the adsorption column after many working cycles in the DR-VPSA plant under real flue gas conditions. The regenerability of activated carbon was verified by assessing their sorption capacity prior to, and after prolonged use in numerous adsorption-desorption cycles in the DR-VPSA plant. The obtained information provide new knowledge of the CO 2 adsorption behaviour of the activated carbon in response to flue gas exposure in pilot DR-VPSA adsorption units.