Numerical Investigations of CO2 Sorption and Recovery Process from Wet Flue Gas by Using K2CO3/Al2O3 in a Fixed Bed

Abstract

Fixed-bed sorption technology is a promising option for separating CO2 from flue gas, and potassium-based Al2O3 (K2CO3/Al2O3) is a potential sorbent in the presence of H2O. This paper studies the stepwise reaction mechanism of CO2/H2O sorption on K2CO3/Al2O3, and the expressions of sorption equilibrium and kinetics are proposed and verified by experimental data. A comprehensive set of mathematical models of separation and recovery CO2 from wet flue gas in a fixed bed of K2CO3/Al2O3 is established. The CO2 separation and recovery process from wet flue gas in the fixed bed are numerically studied. Detailed results of H2O/CO2 sorption and desorption in the fixed bed during pressure/vacuum swing cycles are revealed, and the optimum operating parameters are suggested. Results show that carbon dioxide recovery can be further enhanced using a vacuum temperature swing adsorption (VTSA) process or by adding a pre-wetting step before sorption process.