Chapter 3 - CO2 absorption by common solvents

Abstract

This chapter summarizes previous studies on CO2 absorption with a special focus on amine scrubbing technology. First, an overview of carbon capture technologies is presented, including postcombustion, precombustion, and oxy-combustion capture. This subject is expounded by introducing different types of common solvents used in carbon absorption processes along with their specifications and disadvantages. In the next stage, various experimental methods and techniques of vapor-liquid equilibrium measurement, as well as different thermodynamic models for amine-H2O-CO2 systems presented in the literature, are discussed. Furthermore, the various mechanisms for CO2 absorption reaction kinetics based on the zwitterion, termolecular, and base-catalyzed hydration are described. Finally, mass transfer phenomena for CO2 absorption by amine solutions, amine regeneration, and amine degradation are investigated.