(34a) Nuclear Powered CO2 Capture from the Atmosphere

A process for capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere was recently proposed. This process uses a closed cycle of sodium and calcium hydroxide, carbonate, and oxide transformations to capture dilute CO₂ from the atmosphere and to generate a concentrated stream of CO₂ that is amenable to sequestration or subsequent chemical transformations. In one of the process steps, a fossil-fueled lime kiln is needed, which reduces the net CO₂ capture of the process. It is proposed to replace the fossil-fueled lime kiln with a modified kiln heated by a high-temperature nuclear reactor. This will have the effect of eliminating the use of fossil fuels for the process and increasing the net CO₂ capture. Although the process is suitable to support sequestration, the use of a nuclear power source for the process provides additional capabilities, and the captured CO₂ may be combined with nuclear-produced hydrogen in order to manufacture liquid fuels via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis or other technologies. Conceivably, such plants would be carbon-neutral, and could be placed virtually anywhere without being tied to fossil fuel sources or geological sequestration sites.

The full article will be available in the AIChE journal Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy in the April 2009 issue. Please see: Sherman, S.R., "Nuclear Powered CO₂ Capture from the Atmosphere", Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy, in press, DOI 10.100/ep.