CO2 removal via promoted potassium carbonate: A review on modeling and simulation techniques

Abstract

The continuous exploration of new gas reserves along with the increase in the global power demand necessitates the development of less demanding technologies, such that the treatment process can be accomplished at a minimized cost. One of the most common and mature technology is the chemical absorption process. Absorption process based on carbonate solvents are currently of interest as a technical alternative that have the potential to overcome the disadvantages of the widely established amine based solvents. One such solvent is potassium carbonate. The challenge associated with this solvent, however, is the slow reaction rate resulting in poor CO2 mass transfer and relatively larger absorption equipment is required. Therefore, there is a significant interest in exploring the possibility of rate enhancement by using promoter to accelerate the mass transfer. Various promoters for carbonate based solvents are studied in recent years including organic and inorganic promoters but the ongoing challenge for this process is to assess the performance of the new mix solvent under a wide range of conditions at a larger scale. Hence, modelling and simulations are required to observe the complex interplay between the chemical and physical properties. In this current work, different promoters are reviewed and the main modelling approach for simulation model development is presented. The main objective is to explore various theoretical approaches to improve design and operation using promoted potassium carbonate. Hence, the modelling and simulation section in this review is divided into 3 major parts; (i) Kinetic modelling & chemical reaction, (ii) Thermodynamic model & physical properties, (iii) Hydrodynamics & mass transfer. The reviews end with conclusions and the challenges in term of absorption efficiency using potassium carbonate and the influences to real applications as well as future directions are highlighted.