Status and Analysis of Next Generation Post-combustion CO2 Capture Technologies

Abstract

Abstract Post-combustion CO 2 capture technologies tested above ∼20 MWe on flue gas slip streams from coal-fired power plants are thus far exclusively aqueous solutions of amines or ammonia. These near-term technologies, when combined with compression to pipeline pressures, impose a ∼25-30% load on a coal-fired power plant and nearly double the cost of electricity. Much of this increase is due to the relatively low CO 2 concentration and ambient conditions of flue gas, which poses an inherently difficult separation. Nonetheless, this relatively high energy and monetary cost provides an incentive for the development of next generation lower-energy and lower-cost capture processes. Since 2006, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has had an active program to review and conduct due diligence on emerging post-combustion CO 2 capture technologies. Using this knowledgebase, we critically review and analyze the status of the broad spectrum of next generation technologies, including solvents, adsorbents, membranes, and other capture processes. This effort spans some 125 post-combustion capture technologies and is part of EPRI's on-going effort to understand the landscape of CO 2 capture technologies, to identify research gaps, and to accelerate relevant research fields. We use the taxonomy of technology readiness level (TRL) to rank and classify the landscape of CO 2 capture technologies. We provide overview results of this ranking exercise and show how the findings will be used by EPRI and the utility industry to better identify opportunities to accelerate the development cycle and to anticipate the timing of major pilots and eventual commercial offerings. This analysis also leads us to several important insights, especially for capture technologies applied at power plant scales.