(414d) CO2 Capture Using Particulate Silica Aerogel Immobilized with Tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA)

CO₂ capture using
particulate silica aerogel immobilized with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA)

Nick
Linneen (presenter), Jerry YS Lin, Robert Pfeffer

School for Engineering of
Matter, Transport, and Energy

Arizona State University

Tempe AZ 85289

Abstract:           

Post-combustion capture of CO2 using solid
amine-based sorbents is attracting significant attention due to their high
selectively, reduced corrosive properties, and low energy regeneration
requirements. Research has shown that sorbents that have large pore diameter
and pore volume generally achieve the highest CO2 adsorption capacities. This
is a result of the support's greater potential to retain large amounts of
amine, while also allowing effective CO2 transport within the sorbent. We have
developed a novel sorbent using particulate aerogel
as a support. Aerogel, also known as ?solid smoke,?
is a high porosity, high surface area, silica-based material that has very
large pore volumes and pore diameters compared to other supports. Therefore aerogels can retain large amounts of amine while also
maintaining some mesoporosity for effective CO2
transport. By impregnating tetraethylenepentamine
(TEPA), which is an ultra-low molecular weight linear polyethylenimine
(PEI), into commercially available 10 micron size aerogel
(Cabot Corp. Nanogel), we have obtained an adsorption
capacity as high as 6.1mmol/g which is very competitive relative to other CO2
sorbents. The aerogel-amine based sorbent was also
found to achieve fast kinetics reaching 90% of its equilibrium capacity within
the first 10min and also maintaining its adsorption capacity after
10 adsorption/desorption cycles.