2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
(528d) Advancements in Direct Air Capture: Unveiling a Simple and Robust Synthesized Fibrous Amine-Functionalized Matrix (FAM) Sorbent for Commercial Scale-up
Authors
Wang, Q. - Presenter, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Wilfong, W., National Energy and Technology Laboratory
Shi, F., University of Pittsburgh
Gray, M., U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory
The increasing urgency to address global climate change has driven extensive research into carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. Among these, direct air capture (DAC) has emerged as a pivotal solution due to its potential to directly remove CO2 from the atmosphere. DAC operates independently of emission sources, offering flexibility in location and the potential to significantly reduce atmosphere CO2 concentrations. However, the effectiveness and scalability of DAC technologies hinge on the development of efficient and economically viable sorbent materials. The quest for an effective sorbent focuses on materials that can selectively and efficiently capture CO2 from ambient air, are durable over many capture and release cycles, and can be produced and operated at low costs. Recent advancements in material science have led to the exploration of amine-functionalized sorbents, hollow fiber sorbents and membranes, and other novel materials designed to meet these criteria. The development of a simple and robust synthesized Fibrous Amine-functionalized Matrix (FAM) sorbent represents a significant stride in this direction. The FAM can be efficiently functionalized onto substate via a dip-coating process involving immersion in the formula solution for several seconds, followed by drying at 80-90 °C for 1 hour. This method facilitates straightforward and cost-effective scalability. The viability of this approach was demonstrated through the preparation of a 1-meter FAM roll on a laboratory scale, achieved manually. Furthermore, the FAM exhibits a dry DAC capacity of ~ 1.7 mmol/g-FAM under 5 hours equilibrium, a performance that stands out within the spectrum of reported sorbent materials. In addition, the FAM demonstrated a release of over 90% CO2 at 90 °C within 20 minutes, indicating low energy requirements for regeneration and high efficiency. The FAM sorbent offers the potential for high CO2 capture efficiency, low energy requirements for CO2 release, and suitability for commercial scale-up. All of these help to address key challenges in the deployment of DAC technology.