Novelty in fossil fuel carbon abatement technologies in the 21st Century: post-combustion carbon capture

Abstract

A global net zero target by mid-century and keeping the maximum global temperature rise to below 1.5 °C was agreed by nearly 200 nations at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change advises that emission cuts by 45% are needed by 2030 in order to maintain the global temperature rise below the 1.5 °C target. To achieve this target, it is necessary to investigate technological options that are economically viable and globally acceptable for commercial deployment. This review paper looks at the new technologies needed to reduce CO2 emission and to motivate commercial deployment, considering that the commercial deployment of CO2 has been slowed down as a result of high capital and operating expenses which invariably increase the cost of energy. The paper presents a review on early years of process intensification technologies as well as a discussion on potential new process intensification options for CO2 capture, with suggestions on how to modify those technologies for suitable application to solvent-based carbon capture. The work further discusses current process intensification technologies used for CO2 capture applications. Solvent developments for enhancing CO2 capture also are discussed as they contribute to cutting down the sizes of the units as well as decreasing the cost of regeneration which leads to reduction in capital and operating costs. A process flow diagram using a mop fan for capture of CO2 from buildings is proposed. In addition, a new flow diagram is proposed for using loop reactor technology to capture CO2 from large point sources, and finally a new process diagram using rotating packed bed absorber combined with sono-assisted regenerator is presented for improved performance of CO2 capture technology. Recommendations on these diagrams are made to help ensure transition toward the net zero target. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).