June, 2005
Vol 1 Chapter 9: Self-assembled nanoporous materials for CO2 capture
Part 1: Theoretical considerations
Ripudaman Malhotra et al, Physical Sciences Division, SRI International, USA
Abstract: Nanoporous materials have been shown to have very high adsorption capacities for gases. We examined their potential application in a PSA system to capture CO2. Of particular interest to us was the range of selfassembled materials that could be generated from copper dicarboxylate systems. These salts have a square lattice whose cells could be tailored to accommodate multiple molecules of CO2 and thereby optimize the material for maximum adsorption capacity. With multiple CO2 molecules being adsorbed in each cell there is also the possibility that the system would display cooperative behavior. We describe here the thermodynamics of these systems and show that a significantly larger amount of an adsorbate species can be shifted between the vapor and adsorbed states for a given pressure swing. To further assess the potential benefits of using such materials, we simulated the breakthrough behavior of CO2 from a packed bed containing activated carbon and copper terephthalate. These simulations show that for a given bed diameter, the appropriate bed length would be about a third that for carbon alone, even if copper terephthalate displayed no cooperativity. The bed length could be further reduced to a quarter if there were even a modest degree of cooperative binding.
Carbon Dioxide Capture for Storage in Deep Geologic Formations - Results from the CO2 Capture Project Capture and Separation of Carbon Dioxide from Combustion Sources - Volume 1
Edited by: David C. Thomas, Senior Technical Advisor, Advanced Resources International Inc, USA
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