Technical and economic perspectives of hydrate-based carbon dioxide capture

Abstract

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is vital for reducing CO2 emissions and achieving climate change targets. Despite proven technical viability, the high cost of current CO2 capture methods hinders widespread applications of CCS. Hydrate-based carbon capture (HBCC) is a promising route for energy-efficient CO2 capture. With an estimated cost of 20 – 40 US$/tonnes of CO2 avoided and an energy penalty of 15%, HBCC is potentially competitive compared to the current capture via conventional absorption (40 – 100 US$/tonnes of CO2 avoided and energy penalty of 30%). HBCC has a competitive edge at industrial scales owing to several intrinsic advantages: (i) a water-based process, (ii) tolerance to impurities in the feed gas, and (iii) potential energy savings via integrating hydrate formation/dissociation enthalpies. However, slow kinetics and limited industrial experience are current challenges to deployment. All these advantages, challenges, and prospects are critically discussed to provide insightful assessments of the techno-economic feasibility of HBCC in comparison to other existing and emerging methods.