TDA RESEARCH, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: C56-25a

Description

Statement of the problem or situation that is being addressed. The deep decarbonization of the industrial sector (e.g., cement plants, iron and steel manufacturing, hydrogen production, ethanol plants, and chemicals and petrochemicals plants) is critical to controlling greenhouse gas emissions. The conventional capture approach is to first separate/capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from process emissions (e.g., post-combustion flue gas) and then regenerate the capture medium by applying heat or other forms of energy (e.g., vacuum or pressure swing, or steam purge). The CO2 recovered from the capture process is then further purified, compressed, and transported to a storage or utilization site and every process step adds to the cost of CO2 capture and utilization. General statement of how this problem is being addressed. TDA Research, Inc. proposes to develop a new electrochemical process that can effectively remove over 95% carbon emissions from an industrial plant (e.g., SMR based H2 plant or a cement plant) and convert it into methanol that can be used as a building block molecule in the synthesis of other chemicals or fuels. In this integrated process, a potassium hydroxide (KOH)/water mixture is used as a solvent to capture the CO2 from flue gas. The CO2-rich solvent is then regenerated by directly converting the dissolved CO2 to methanol via electrolysis. The key to the integrated CO2 absorption/electrocatalytic CO2 conversion process is an electrocatalyst that shows high reaction rates and selectivity in the conversion of CO2 into methanol in the absorption stream. What is to be done in Phase I? In Phase I, we will demonstrate the critical aspects of the reactive capture process at the lab scale to prove initial feasibility of the concept, including CO2 removal efficiency of the capture system, the energy and consumable requirement for the CO2 conversion process and the overall product yield. We will prepare and demonstrate the use of TDA’s coreshell carbons as supports for state-of-the-art CO2 reduction electrocatalysts. We will estimate the carbon capture cost in a preliminary Techno-economic Analysis (TEA) following DOE/NETL process design and analysis guidelines. We will also complete a life cycle analysis (LCA). Commercial Applications and Other Benefits. The proposed technology will provide a costeffective way to control CO2 emissions. The value proposition for TDA technology lies in the reduced cost of CO2 capture provided by the integration of the post-combustion capture system with the electrochemical methanol synthesis process. This integration eliminates the need to recover the CO2 from the separation medium. The elimination of the energy input for solvent regeneration, and consequent purification and compression processes reduce the cost.