TDA RESEARCH, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: 18d

Description

The electricity produced from fossil fuels is essential to the world’s prosperity and security, but the increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations caused by the fossil fuel combustion are implicated in global warming.Although there are several methods for separating CO2 from the flue gases, all have significant drawbacks, including loss of efficiency and increased capital and operating costs that dramatically increase the cost of electricity.TDA Research, Inc.(TDA), in collaboration with Membrane Technology Research Corporation (MTR) proposes to develop high capacity, highly selective engineered polymer sorbent to selectively CO2 from the flue gases from coal-fired power plants.The new adsorbent will remove effectively CO2 achieving a very CO2 uptake capacity even at very low CO2 concentrations.The sorbent regeneration will be carried out by applying a mild vacuum, reducing energy consumption needed for the process.In Phase I we prepared various sorbent formulations and screened them to determine their capacity to adsorb CO2 under representative conditions.Based on the performance results, we carried out a preliminary design of our CO2 capture system, and estimated its size and cost.We also completed an engineering assessment to compare it to alternative processes.In Phase II we will continue to optimize the sorbent to enhance its CO2 capacity and scale-up the sorbent production.We will further improve its resistance to flue gas impurities such as moisture, SOX and NOX.We will assess the impact of critical process parameters at bench-scale and carry out at least 20,000 adsorption/ desorption cycles.We will then assess the performance of a 5 scfm unit in the field, using actual coal-derived flue gas.We will carry out the process simulation work and evaluate the techno-economic viability of the new CO2 capture technology to retrofit as an existing pulverized coal power plants.CO2 is a major greenhouse gas and the major source for anthropogenic CO2 emissions.It is the result of the combustion of fossil fuels, in particular the burning of coal to generate electricity.The proposed technology will provide a cost effective way to control CO2 emissions.