Catalytic enhancement of CO2 liquid-side mass transfer for energy-efficient solvent regeneration in carbon capture

Catalytic solvent regeneration has emerged as a promising strategy to reduce the energy intensity of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture processes. By accelerating CO 2 desorption kinetics and enabling lower operating temperature, the integration of acidic catalytic materials within the regeneration section can significantly improve overall process efficiency. However, performance enhancements are often reported as relative percentages, limiting their translation to industrial-scale systems. In this study, the impact of acidic catalysts on regeneration performance is quantified using liquid phase mass transfer coefficients, a translatable metric that supports industrial process simulation and equipment design. Experiments were conducted using a wetted wall column apparatus to characterize CO 2 -loaded potassium glycinate solutions, both with and without the presence of a commercially available acidic catalyst. Regeneration was evaluated across a wide range of operating conditions, including temperatures from 20 to 90 °C, CO 2 loadings from 0.2 to 0.4 mol/mol, and catalyst concentrations from 1 to 6 wt%. Results revealed that the presence of acidic catalyst could increase the liquid phase mass transfer coefficient by over 3700 %, reaching an absolute value of 11.43 × 10 6 mol/m 2 sPa at 90 °C with 6 wt% catalyst. This finding is significant, as it demonstrates that catalytic enhancement not only enables regeneration rates to approach those of absorption, addressing a long-standing bottleneck in carbon capture systems, but can also support reductions in both capital and operating costs by improving process throughput and lowering thermal energy requirements. These findings provide a critical step toward the integration of catalytic regeneration in commercial applications, and the advancement of more energy-efficient, cost-effective CO 2 capture technologies. • Catalysts can boost CO 2 desorption rates during solvent regeneration by up to 32 %. • Catalysts raise liquid film mass transfer coefficients by over 3700 %. • Catalytic regeneration rates approach those of absorption, easing process bottlenecks. • Catalysts can lower thermal demand and reduce regeneration process costs. • Reported mass transfer coefficients enable improved process modelling and design.