CO2 amine absorbent and removal technologies made using polyamines or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) alkaline materials can be very effective at capturing CO2 from flue gas and other sources then converting the carbon into higher-value products. Amine-based and NaOH-based materials can even be used to develop solid CO2 sorbents and catalysts for carbon capture and conversion into useful products. However, the identification and implementation of an effective CO2 adsorbent has many challenges. One of the main challenges is in properly testing and comparing the carbon capture properties of the various material technologies and derivatives using quick and reliable adsorption testing methods.
The capture and removal of carbon dioxide from flue gas is critical for achieving a reduced carbon footprint. The absorption of CO2 by amines/polyamines and sodium hydroxide absorption is one of the most mature industrial technologies today. In addition to absorption and adsorption, other technologies used for CO2 capture include cryogenic sequestration, membrane separation and biological fixation.
Regardless of the technology being used, the ability to quickly measure and compare the CO2 capture efficiency of various systems and materials is key for the effective development of carbon sequestration and utilization infrastructure, including direct air capture (DAC) technologies. In what follows, we will illustrate how the rapid IDS optical technology and instrument has been demonstrated to be effective at measuring the carbon capture properties of alkaline-based materials. The data below corresponds to the different CO2 gas volumes that were absorbed and captured by 50 ml of 0.1M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. The carbon dioxide removal efficiency of this particular absorbent solution was calibrated using various diluents of basic solutions made from aqueous NaOH. The ability of cement-based aqueous solutions to capture CO2 gas was also measured and compared at different concentrations. The same method can be used to measure the CO2 capture and removal by amine and polyamine materials.
IDS Measurement of CO2 Capture by NaOH Absorbent