CO2 water-lean capture: Mathematical modelling and analysis of the industrial process
Published in Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2023
The most mature post-combustion capture technology is absorption of CO2 into monoethanolamine (MEA). Typically, this process utilizes a solution of 30wt.% aqueous MEA as absorbent liquid; however, recent studies showed how increasing MEA concentration enhances mass-transfer coefficient in absorption columns. This work investigates effect of MEA concentration on the overall process. The main focus is given to regeneration heat. Heat duty at the reboiler per unit of recovered CO2 (HDUC) is utilized as the primary performance indicator. The analysis employs an Aspen HYSYS® model. Increasing MEA concentration reduces HDUC by 74% when MEA concentration goes from 30wt.% to 90wt.%. Another parameter affecting HDUC is stoichiometric ratio between moles of MEA and CO2. Halving molar ratio between MEA and CO2, at 30 wt.% MEA concentration returns a reduction in HDUC of 48%, while at 90wt.% MEA concentration, the observed reduction is 9%. Overall, increasing MEA concentration improves process efficiency.
Recommended citation: Di Caprio, U., Kayahan, E., Wu, M., Hellinckx, P., Van Gerven, T., Waldherr, S., Leblebici, M.E. (2023). CO2 water-lean capture: Mathematical modelling and analysis of the industrial process. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 52, 3283-3288