Study of Decay Behavior of the CO2 Sorption by Limestones applied to the Carbon Sequestration Technology

• Grant number: 11/11321-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2011
• End date: July 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Paula Cristina Garcia Manoel Crnkovic
• Grantee: Ivonete Ávila
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In the Lab of Thermal and Fluids Engineering (NETeF - EESC/USP) has developed a research program on pollution and combustion. The main goal of this program is contribute to the know-how development to minimize environmental impacts in the energy generation process. The Ca-looping process (Ca-L) is a promising technology to reduce of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions when applied in energy generation systems. Ca-based materials (usually limestone) are used in this process as CO2 sorbents. Thus, the CO2 capture occurs by the reversible reaction between calcium oxide (CaO) and CO2, resulting in the calcium carbonate form (CaCO3). Compared to other technologies applied to carbon sequestration process, the Ca-L process offers additional advantages such: the use of fluidized bed technology that is already well established; this process occurs at high temperature, and the excess of heat generated can be recovered; the cost of limestone sorbents is low because of its wide availability. However, in the applying the Ca-L process is essential to understand the mechanism and the effect of partial pressure of CO2 in both, calcination and carbonation processes; to investigate the effect of sintering and to evaluate the sorbent activity decay. In this postdoctoral project, empirical techniques such as thermogravimetry and porosimetry are applied to investigate the reactivity of limestone sorbents and the effect of CO2 high concentrations in both calcination/carbonation processes. An isoconversional model (Model Free-Kinetics) will be applied to determine the activation energy of the limestone decomposition. In addition, the limestone pore structure developed under different experimental conditions will be correlated with the chemical composition of the sorbents used.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CRNKOVIC, PAULA MANOEL; KOCH, CHRISTOPH; AVILA, IVONETE; MORTARI, DANIELA ANDRESA; CORDOBA, AYMER MATURANA; DOS SANTOS, ANTONIO MOREIRA. Determination of the activation energies of beef tallow and crude glycerin combustion using thermogravimetry. BIOMASS & BIOENERGY, v. 44, p. 8-16, 2012. (11/00183-2, 11/11321-7)

AVILA, IVONETE; CRNKOVIC, PAULA M.; MILIOLI, FERNANDO E.; LUO, KAI H.. Investigation of the pore blockage of a Brazilian dolomite during the sulfation reaction. Applied Surface Science, v. 258, n. 8, p. 3532-3539, FEB 1 2012. (11/11321-7)

MORTARI, DANIELA A.; AVILA, IVONETE; CRNKOVIC, PAULA M.. Response Surface Methodology Applied to the Evaluation of the SO2 Sorption Process in Two Brazilian Limestones. ENERGY & FUELS, v. 27, n. 6, p. 2890-2898, JUN 2013. (08/07215-4, 11/11321-7)