Carbon Dioxide Capture Using Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Acetate

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture using aqueous amine scrubbing is currently considered the most feasible option for separating CO2 from post-combustion flue gas. Using simple absorption and stripping configurations, monoethanolamine has been commercially demonstrated to effectively scrub CO2 from post-combustion flue gas. However, the current capital and operating costs are high and do not meet the target of the Department of Energy to remove 90% of CO2 from post-combustion flue gas with no more than a 35% increase in the cost of electricity. The evaluation of advanced absorbents, adsorbents, and membranes is under way to find the most energy-efficient CO2-capture technology. We have modeled an ionic liquid that can reduce the energy losses by 16% compared to a commercial monoethanolamine process. The choice of the ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, has not been optimized but was chosen based on chemical absorption behavior and the desire to understand performance. Engineering design estimates...