Abstract
Engaging students in the experimental design of “green” technology is a challenge in Chemical Engineering undergraduate programs. This concept paper demonstrates an educational methodology to investigate accelerated mineral carbonation, which is a promising technology related to mitigation of climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources as stable solid carbonates. An experimental investigation is conceived, whereby students test the effect of two process parameters (CO2 pressure and mixing rate) on the extent of carbonation reaction. The carbonation reaction has been performed using a mineral called wollastonite (CaSiO3). The experimental study and laboratory report cover principles of reaction kinetics and mass transfer, while illustrating the steps to develop and investigate a green process technology. The results from the experimental investigation, which is carried out by multiple teams of students, are then pooled and used to guide a subsequent design project. Students would conceive a flowsheet, size equipment, and estimate the energy demand and net CO2 sequestration efficiency of a full-scale implementation of the mineral carbonation technology. This educational investigation aims to help undergraduate students to acquire deeper experiential learning and greater awareness of future green technologies by applying fundamental engineering principles into an engaging experimental and design exercise.
Highlights
Sustainability planning requires fundamental investment on education, moving towards training students in innovative environmental technologies that they should be aware of to develop cleaner production processes, and to be capable of participating in and promoting continuous improvements in the economy, environment, and society [1]
Given its strong link to concepts of sustainability and Green Chemistry and process requirements that apply principles of reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, and materials characterization, the present work aimed to find a way for accelerated mineral carbonation to earn a place in chemical engineering curricula
Mineral carbonation occurs when carbon dioxide reacts with metal oxides or natural alkaline silicates
Summary
Sustainability planning requires fundamental investment on education, moving towards training students in innovative environmental technologies that they should be aware of to develop cleaner production processes, and to be capable of participating in and promoting continuous improvements in the economy, environment, and society [1]. Time (i.e., experiment duration), the high cost of laboratory equipment, and, in some cases, excessive procedural complexity, represent constraints to explore innovative ideas and collaborative and progressive work in the educational setting It is the authors’ conception that students are more likely to feel engaged in this experiential learning when they can see the importance of what they are required to do, be it a skill that they think they will use in the future, or knowledge they will gain about real-world issues and solutions for them. Mineral carbonation is a challenging theme to demonstrate to students because the chemical reaction at ambient conditions, referred by geologists as “weathering”, proceeds extremely slowly over a geological time scale, demanding accelerated process conditions for experimental analysis This relates to the need for accelerated carbonation for industrial implementation. Examples of companies around the world using mineral carbonation, primarily to produce building materials, include CarbonCure Technologies in Canada [23]; Carbon Systems in the United Kingdom [24]; Mineral Carbonation International in Australia [25]; Solidia Technologies in the United States [26]
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