Technoeconomic Evaluation of a Process Capturing CO2 Directly from Air

Technical, economic and environmental analysis of solar thermochemical production of drop-in fuels

This study analyzes the technical performance, costs and life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the production of various fuels using air-captured water and CO2, and concentrated solar energy as the source of high-temperature process heat. The solar thermochemical fuel production pathway utilizes a ceria-based redox cycle for splitting water and CO2 to syngas - a tailored mixture of H2 and CO - which in turn is further converted to liquid hydrocarbon fuels. The cycle is driven by concentrated solar heat and supplemented by a high-temperature thermal energy storage for round-the-clock continuous operation. The study examines three locations with high direct normal irradiation using a baseline heliostat field reflective area of 1 km2 for the production of six fuels, i.e. jet fuel and diesel via Fischer-Tropsch, methanol, gasoline via methanol, dimethyl ether, and hydrogen. Two scenarios are considered: near-term future by the year 2030 and long-term future beyond 2030. In the near-term future in Sierra Gorda (Chile), the minimum fuel selling price is estimated at around 76 €/GJ (2.5 €/L) for jet fuel and diesel, 65 €/GJ for methanol, gasoline (via methanol) and dimethyl ether (DME), and 42 €/GJ for hydrogen (excluding liquefaction). In the long-term future, with advancements in solar receiver, redox reactor, high-temperature heat recovery and direct air capture technologies, the industrial-scale plant could achieve a solar-to-fuel efficiency up to 13-19 %, depending on the target fuel, resulting in a minimum fuel selling price of 16-38 €/GJ (0.6-1.3 €/L) for jet fuel and diesel, and 14-32 €/GJ for methanol, gasoline, and DME, making these fuels synthesized from sunlight and air cost-competitive vis-à-vis e-fuels. To produce the same fuels in Tabernas (Spain) and Ouarzazate (Morocco) as in Sierra Gorda, the production cost would increase by 22-33 %. Greenhouse gas savings can be over 80 % already in the near-term future.

Recent advances in direct air capture by adsorption

Significant progress has been made in direct air capture (DAC) in recent years. Evidence suggests that the large-scale deployment of DAC by adsorption would be technically feasible for gigatons of CO₂ capture annually. However, great efforts in adsorption-based DAC technologies are still required. This review provides an exhaustive description of materials development, adsorbent shaping, in situ characterization, adsorption mechanism simulation, process design, system integration, and techno-economic analysis of adsorption-based DAC over the past five years; and in terms of adsorbent development, affordable DAC adsorbents such as amine-containing porous materials with large CO₂ adsorption capacities, fast kinetics, high selectivity, and long-term stability under ultra-low CO₂ concentration and humid conditions. It is also critically important to develop efficient DAC adsorptive processes. Research and development in structured adsorbents that operate at low-temperature with excellent CO₂ adsorption capacities and kinetics, novel gas-solid contactors with low heat and mass transfer resistances, and energy-efficient regeneration methods using heat, vacuum, and steam purge is needed to commercialize adsorption-based DAC. The synergy between DAC and carbon capture technologies for point sources can help in mitigating climate change effects in the long-term. Further investigations into DAC applications in the aviation, agriculture, energy, and chemical industries are required as well. This work benefits researchers concerned about global energy and environmental issues, and delivers perspective views for further deployment of negative-emission technologies.

Simulation of CO2 Capture Process in Flue Gas from Oxy-Fuel Combustion Plant and Effects of Properties of Absorbent

Oxy-fuel combustion technology is an effective way to reduce CO2 emissions. An ionic liquid [emim][Tf2N] was used to capture the CO2 in flue gas from oxy-fuel combustion plant. The process of the CO2 capture was simulated using Aspen Plus. The results show that when the liquid–gas ratio is 1.55, the volume fraction of CO2 in the exhaust gas is controlled to about 2%. When the desorption pressure is 0.01 MPa, desorption efficiency is 98.2%. Additionally, based on the designability of ionic liquids, a hypothesis on the physical properties of ionic liquids is proposed to evaluate their influence on the absorption process and heat exchanger design. The process evaluation results show that an ionic liquid having a large density, a large thermal conductivity, and a high heat capacity at constant pressure is advantageous. This paper shows that from capture energy consumption and lean circulation, oxy-fuel combustion is a more economical method. Furthermore, it provides a feasible path for the treatment of CO2 in the waste gas of oxy-fuel combustion. Meanwhile, Aspen simulation helps speed up the application of ionic liquids and oxy-fuel combustion. Process evaluation helps in equipment design and selection.

A Comparative Study of Different Sorbents in the Context of Direct Air Capture (DAC): Evaluation of Key Performance Indicators and Comparisons

Direct air capture can be based on an adsorption system, and the used sorbent (chemisorbents or physisorbents) influences process. In this work, two amine-functionalized sorbents, as chemisorbents, and three different metal organic frameworks, as physisorbents, are considered and compared in terms of some key performance indicators. This was carried out by developing a mathematical model describing the adsorption and desorption stages. An independent analysis was carried out in order to verify data reported in the literature. Results show that the equilibrium loading is a critical parameter for adsorption capacity, energy consumption, and cost. The considered metal organic frameworks are characterized by a lower equilibrium loading (10−4 mol/kg) compared to chemisorbents (10−1 mol/kg). For this reason, physisorbents have higher overall energy consumptions and costs, while capturing a lower amount of carbon dioxide. A reasonable agreement is found on the basis of the operating conditions of the Climeworks company, modelling the use of the same amine cellulose-based sorbent. The same order of magnitude is found for total costs (751 USD/tonneCO2 for our analysis, compared to the value of 600 USD/tonneCO2 proposed by this company).

Guidelines for Techno-Economic Analysis of Adsorption Processes

Techno-economic analyses (TEAs) of CO2 capture technologies have risen in popularity, due to growing interest in meeting CO2 emissions reduction targets. Adsorption processes are one of the technologies proposed for CO2 capture, and although difficult, standardization of TEAs for adsorption should be attempted. The reason is that TEAs are often referred to as input data to other forms of modeling, to guide policy, and to act as summaries for those unfamiliar with adsorption processes. Herein, we discuss the aspects that should be considered when conducting TEAs for CO2 adsorption processes, and we present the implications of choices made at the TEA stage and offer guidance on best practice. our aim is to make TEAs of adsorption processes widely accessible to the adsorption community, and more generally to communities engaged in the evaluation of CCS technologies.