Enhancing the CO2 capture efficiency of amines by microgel particles

Abstract

This proof-of-concept study demonstrates a promising approach to enhance the CO2 capture capacity of liquid amines, in which the amines were infused into microgel particles. A diverse range of amine infused microgels (AIMGs) were readily prepared within 5 min by adding microgel particles into different amine solutions. The AIMGs absorb CO2 based on the infused amines. Due to the solid particle structure, the space among the AIMG particles provided diffusion channels for the CO2 molecule and enhanced the contact efficiency of the amines and CO2. As a result, the absorption efficiency of the amines was significantly increased resulting in higher CO2 uptake and faster absorption kinetics for the AIMGs compared to the conventional bulk amine solutions. Furthermore, by ‘locking’ the amine solutions in the microgel particles, the corrosion and foaming issues of amine solutions could be substantially mitigated. Therefore, the amine solutions which have higher concentrations than the commercial counterparts could be used in the preparation of AIMGs. Due to the thermally stable network structure, the AIMGs which were prepared by the amines with low volatility exhibited favorable cyclic capacity during the temperature-swing regeneration process.