Electric Swing Adsorption for CO2 removal from flue gases

One of the most important sources of CO2 emissions are the fossil-fuel fired plants for production of electricity. Removal of CO2 from flue gas streams for further sequestration has been proposed by the International Panel on Climate Change experts as one of the most reliable solutions to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse emissions. When natural gas is employed as fuel, the molar fraction of CO2 in the flue gas is lower than 5% causing serious problems for capture. The purpose of this work is to present experimental validation of an Electric Swing Adsorption (ESA) technology that may be employed for carbon capture for low molar fractions of CO2 in the flue gas streams. To improve energy utilization, an activated carbon honeycomb monolith with low electrical resistivity was employed as selective adsorbent. A mathematical model for this honeycomb is proposed as well as different ESA cycles for CO2 capture. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.