(28c) CO2 Capture with Enzyme Synthetic Analogue

Carbonic anhydrase, one of the fastest enzymes known, is used by all air-breathing organisms for carbon dioxide management. A single enzyme can catalyze the hydration of over 600,000 CO2 molecules per second. However, harnessing its power directly would likely present challenges as its performance and durability over time would be compromised due to chemical and thermal exposures in a flue gas environment. An alternative approach is to utilize a synthetic analogue of the enzyme, developed to probe aspects of its catalytic mechanism. By modifying the analogue such that it can be incorporated within a polymer matrix, an enzyme analogue / polymer nanocomposite thin-film structure can be created to act as a selective membrane for CO2 separation from flue gas. Existing coal-fired power plants would benefit the most if this technology is successful. Unlike modern coal-gasification plants under development, most existing plants were not designed with CO2 capture in mind, however they account for ~2B tons CO2 /yr and are likely to remain active for the foreseeable future.

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) received one of the first 37 grants awarded by ARPA-E to demonstrate feasibility of the concept at laboratory scale and identify risks in performance and durability in simulated flue gas environment. UTRC's partners in this program are Hamilton Sundstrand (a United Technologies Business Unit and NASA's prime contractor for CO2 capture in space), Columbia University, WorleyParsons Group, Inc., C.M.-Tec, Inc.; and G.L. Chemtec Intl. This presentation will cover a brief introduction on the challenges of CO2 capture and UTRC's membrane-based approach and progress to date.