From material characterization to process simulation: Performance evaluation of amine-infused resins for CO2 capture

Selective capture of CO 2 using solid CO 2 sorbents provides an effective solution for a simplified CO 2 capture process, however it demands high CO 2 capture performance with low regeneration energy. A solid adsorbent incorporating diethanolamine (DEA) within a cross-linked polystyrene based porous ion-exchange resin was synthesized. DEA was incorporated into the channels of the resin by infusion, denoted as an amine-infused resin (AIR). Performance of the AIR in CO 2 adsorption was evaluated, then the desorption properties were measured along with the surface morphology and particle size distribution. The commercial process simulator Aspen Adsorption was employed to model the single-bed experimental system. Simulation results showed good agreement with experimental data, particularly in terms of breakthrough behavior and CO 2 holdup during adsorption–desorption cycles. The validated model was used to design a CO 2 capture system adopting temperature swing adsorption (TSA) for CO 2 removal from gas stream. The five-column TSA unit operating at 2 bar produced a CO 2 stream with three-step cycle of adsorption, desorption by hot water, and cooling. The overall energy consumption of 3.02 GJ/tCO 2 was estimated from the total amount of heat during desorption of 53.9 kJ/mol CO 2 . The reduced regeneration temperature and energy requirements for the AIR results in improved productivity. The findings of this study highlight the potential of AIR as a promising alternative for CO 2 capture process with several advantages, including comparable CO 2 capture performance, efficient regeneration, and scalability. • Amine-infused resin (AIR) shows good CO 2 adsorption capacity and stable repeatability. • AIR can be regenerated easily at 86 °C, suggesting less energy for regeneration. • Five-column TSA unit adopting AIR is designed and shows overall energy consumption of 3.02 GJ/ton CO 2 . • AIR-based TSA unit is scalable and shows industrial application potential.