Abstract
Carbon dioxide capture from cement plant flue gas can play an important role in mitigating CO2 emission that lead to climate change. Among all the technologies evaluated, membranes have potential to be one of the most energy-efficient and low-cost CO2 capture option. In this work, a novel membrane technology, Facilitated Transport Membranes (FTMs), is assessed to further reduce energy demand and cost for CO2 capture in a cement plant. A new process that employs FTMs is simulated and applied to a real clinker production plant in Italy (Colacem, Gubbio). The process is then compared with other carbon capture technologies. Results show that the FTM technology can be competitive with other technologies despite the need of steam to operate the membrane. Despite the benefit in terms of specific emission compared to more established absorption with liquid amines process, further improvements on membrane performances are needed to gain also an economic advantage for carbon capture in the cement industry.
Highlights
Decarbonisation of industrial processes is a key step towards reach the net zero goals that are targeted from countries worldwide
Carbon dioxide capture from cement plant flue gas can play an important role in mitigating CO2 emission that lead to climate change
Cement production is responsible for around 7% of global CO2 emissions and the demand for cement is projected to increase by 12–23% above the 2014 level by 2050 sustained by a strong growth in Asian countries that will compensate the decline of the sector in China [1,2]
Summary
Decarbonisation of industrial processes is a key step towards reach the net zero goals that are targeted from countries worldwide. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) applied to industrial plants has gained visibility in recent years with the recognition that switching to alternative low carbon processes is more challenging than in the power sector. Cement production is responsible for around 7% of global CO2 emissions and the demand for cement is projected to increase by 12–23% above the 2014 level by 2050 sustained by a strong growth in Asian countries that will compensate the decline of the sector in China [1,2]. Measures that have been proposed to reduce the CO2 footprint of the industry include exploiting efficiency improvements, switching to less carbon intensive fuels, reducing the clinker to cement ratio, decarbonizing the electricity used by the plant and carbon capture and storage [3,4]. Despite several studies and the technical viability of mitigation technologies proposed, few cement plants globally have started implementing these solutions [5]
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