CO2 Capture from Flue Gas in an Existing Coal-Fired Power Plant by Two Successive Pilot-Scale VPSA Units

Abstract

CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is an effective method for achieving CO2 mitigation while simultaneously keeping energy supplies secure. To put CCS into practice, it is important to develop energy-efficient industrial technologies for CO2 capture. In this work, a pilot-scale demonstration of carbon capture from flue gas by adsorption technology was performed in an existing coal-fired power plant in China, and the power energy consumption to capture 1 kg of CO2 was measured onsite; furthermore, the feasibility and efficiency of adsorption technology for postcombustion CO2 capture were investigated. The pilot-scale carbon capture plant consisted of two successive VPSA units coupled with a dehumidifying unit. In the dehumidifying unit, water vapor in the desulfurized flue gas was removed by alumina adsorption. Then, CO2 in the dehumidified flue gas was captured by two successive VPSA units, where the three-bed eight-step VPSA process was employed in the first unit packed with zeolite 13X APG, and the second tw...