A Novel Adsorption Cycle for CO₂ Recovery: Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of a Temperature Swing Compression Process

Abstract

A novel adsorption cycle is examined experimentally and theoretically for recovering carbon dioxide from a 50 mol% mixture with carbon monoxide. Several adsorbents are considered, and zeolite NaY is chosen for the process due to its high capacity and selectivity for CO₂ in the presence of CO. The process consists of three steps. The bed is fed the gas mixture at 273 K until CO₂ breakthrough occurs. The bed then undergoes countercurrent blowdown of CO₂ while heating at 391 K and is finally cooled to the initial feed temperature once the bed has been depleted of CO₂. Results are presented from laboratory scale experiments and are described using numerical simulations. This novel cycle provides a method for capturing and producing CO₂ without the need for a purge gas and has low energy requirements if waste heat is available.

Keywords:

• Fixed‐bed adsorption
• nonisothermal effects
• CO₂ capture
• pressure swing
• temperature swing compression

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Office of Biological and Physical Research for the support of this research under Fluid Physics Grant NAG3‐2401.