(769b) Stack Sampling and Analytical Methods for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Amines and Degradation Products

The use of amine solvents in post-combustion carbon capture (PCCC) pilot plants and testing studies has increased over the last several years, and subsequently a clear understanding of the potential human and environmental impacts of those solvents has become more crucial. One critical need that is made clear from review of current efforts to estimate emissions of the amine solvents and their degradation products is the need to standardize relevant stack sampling and analytical methods. Unfortunately, this issue is complicated by the varying chemical and physical properties of the several compound classes of interest, stage of method development, and difficulty of dealing with sampling constraints of power plant stacks. This led to the 2012 development of an international working group to collaboratively evaluate efficacy of methods that already have or could be applied in power plant flue gas, to improve characterization of sampling artifacts, to determine if standardized method performance metrics can be created, and to potentially design a method shoot-out test protocol.  The goal is to summarize lessons learned and set the stage for future guidelines for more accurate determination of emissions of amines, related compounds, and their degradation products. Methods reviewed included both online (e.g. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and offline (e.g. sorbent trapping and thermal desorbtion) analysis for both gas and particle phase compounds. An overview of the findings and recommendations from both working group efforts will be summarized in this presentation.