CO2 Sequestration from flue gas by direct aqueous mineral carbonation of wollastonite

Abstract

Emission of carbon dioxide is considered to be the main cause of the greenhouse effect. Mineral carbonation, an important part of the CCS technology, is an attractive option for long-term CO2 sequestration. In this study, wollastonite was chosen as the feedstock and the feasibility of direct aqueous mineral carbonation in the simulated flue gas was investigated via a series of experimental studies carried in a stirred reactor. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), ion chromatography (IC) and thermal decomposition were used to determine the carbonation conversion. The influences of various factors, including reaction temperature, reaction pressure, solution composition, heat-treatment and particle size, were discussed. Concurrently, the effects of SO2 and NO presented in simulated flue gas were also investigated and a possible mechanism was used to explain the results. Experimental results show that reaction temperature, reaction pressure and particle size can effectively improve the carbonation reaction. Addition of 0.6 M NaHCO3 was also proved to be beneficial to the reaction and heat-treatment is not needed for wollastonite to get a higher carbonation conversion. Compared with carbonation in purified CO2 gas, CO2 sequestration directly from simulated flue gas by mineral carbonation is suggested to have a certain degree of economic feasibility in the conditions of medium and low-pressure. A highest carbonation conversion of 35.9% is gained on the condition of T=150°C, P=40 bar and PS <30 μm in distilled water for 1 h.