Comparative Mass Transfer Performance Studies of CO2 Absorption into Aqueous Solutions of DEAB and MEA

Abstract

The mass transfer performance of the absorption of CO2 in an aqueous solution of a new amino alcohol, 4-diethylamino-2-butanol (DEAB), which has been developed as an effective postcombustion CO2 capture solvent, was investigated and compared with the performance of CO2 absorption in a conventional amine, MEA. The absorption experiments were conducted in an absorption column containing structured packing, whereas the absorption performance was evaluated in terms of the overall mass transfer coefficient, KGav. In particular, the effects of parameters such as inert gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, and solution concentration were compared for both DEAB and MEA. The results show that KGav increases as both the liquid flow rate and concentration of solution increase whereas inert gas flow rate has little or no effect on KGav. An empirical correlation for the mass transfer coefficient for the CO2-DEAB system has been developed as a function of the process parameters. In terms of comparison, the results show that...