Systems and methods for using chemical processes to create carbon neutral cation carbonates, and other products from carbon dioxide sources

Abstract

Methods for producing soda ash using carbon neutral and / or carbon negative carbon dioxide sources are disclosed herein. An example method comprises: providing a brine and electrochemically decomposing the brine to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and gaseous or liquid byproducts, wherein the gaseous or liquid byproducts comprise hydrogen (H2), chlorine (C12), hydrochloric acid (HC1) and combinations thereof, providing a CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water, collected from biogenic emissions, or a combination thereof, reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution, and calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash.

Description

Systems and methods for using chemical processes tocreatecarbonneutral cation carbonates, and other products from carbon dioxide sourcesCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[1] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 622,865, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING CHEMICAL PROCESSES TO CREATE CARBON NEUTRAL CATION CARBONATES, AND OTHER PRODUCTS FROM BIOGENIC CARBON DIOXIDE SOURCES” (filed January 19, 2024), the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.Field[2] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for the carbon neutral or carbon negative production of soda ash, and other chemical products, using electrodialysis and other electrochemical reactions.BACKGROUND[3] Existing processes for producing cation carbonates and acids, including but not limited to (i) soda ash, (ii) bicarbonate, and / or (iii) hydrochloric acid may have drawbacks. For example, current source(s) for production are not renewable, and further are carbon intensive (e.g., mining of limestone to generate carbon dioxide). Furthermore, reductions in oil refining will likely trigger sulfur shortages, and thus there may be a lack of sulfuric acid for industrial purposes. In addition, current processes are net acidifiers, reducing the environment’s ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide, and contributing to climate change.[4] The systems and methods disclosed herein provide solutions to these problems and thereby provides improvements over the conventional techniques. Summary[5] In one aspect, a carbon neutral or carbon negative method for producing soda ash (Na2CO3) and / or derivatives thereof may be provided. In one example, the method may include: (1) providing a brine and electrochemically decomposing the brine to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and byproducts, wherein the byproducts comprise hydrogen (H2), chlorine (Cl2), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and combinations thereof; (2) providing a CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water, collected from biogenic emissions, or a combination thereof; (3) reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution; and (4) calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash.[6] In a variation of this embodiment, the H2 is gaseous H2, the Cl2 is gaseous Cl2, and / or the HCl is liquid HCl.[7] In a variation of this embodiment, the method further includes compressing the H2.[8] In a variation of this embodiment, the method further includes liquifying the Cl2.[9] In a variation of this embodiment, the method further includes producing the HCl as an aqueous solution.

[10] In a variation of this embodiment, the method further including: reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 with a caustic conversion to soda ash of at least 80%.

[11] In a variation of this embodiment, the method further including: reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 with a caustic conversion to soda ash of at least 80%, preferably at least 90%, more preferably at least 99%.

[12] In a variation of this embodiment, the method further including: reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 with a CO2 conversion to soda ash of at least 10%, preferably at least 60%, more preferably 80%, even more preferably 90%.

[13] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains at least a particular weight percentage of NaCl, wherein the particular weight percentage is a percentage within 15%-45%.

[14] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains at least a particular weight percentage of NaCl, wherein the particular weight percentage is a percentage within 20%-30%.

[15] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains: at least 0.1 mol, preferably at least 0.3 mol, more preferably at least 1.0 mol, even more preferably at least 1.5 mol of dissolved carbonates or bicarbonates ions per cubic meter of brine.

[16] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains 6 to 28 wt.% of NaCl, preferably the brine contains at least 26 wt.% of NaCl.

[17] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains at least 0.00005 wt.% dissolved carbonates.

[18] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine is a byproduct of seawater desalination.

[19] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine is a saline waste stream from reverse osmosis.

[20] In a variation of this embodiment, extracting CO2 gas from ocean water comprises: acidifying the brine from seawater desalination to pH of at most 5.5, or at pH of at most 4, using the HCl byproduct to decompose dissolved carbonates and thereby release CO2 gas; capturing the CO2 gas; and purifying the CO2 gas to: at least 10 wt.% purity or at least 99 wt.% purity.

[21] In a variation of this embodiment, extracting CO2 gas from ocean water comprises: acidifying the brine from seawater desalination to pH of at most 6.5 or at most 5.5, preferably to pH of at most 5.0, or more preferably of at most 4.5 using the HCl byproduct to decompose dissolved carbonates and thereby release CO2 gas; and optionally purifying the CO2 gas to at least 90 wt%, preferably to at least 99 wt.% purity.

[22] In a variation of this embodiment, acidifying the brine from seawater desalination produces acidified wastewater and the method further includes: alkalizing the acidified wastewater to at least pH 7 using excess caustic soda to thereby produce alkaline wastewater; and releasing the alkaline wastewater into the ocean. Advantageously, the produced alkaline wastewater may be alkalized to the local pH of the ocean where it is released. In some examples, the alkaline wastewater has a pH of the local pH of the ocean plus or minus 0.5 pH unit, preferably plus or minus 0.2 pH unit. This enables obtaining a minimal impact on the environment.

[23] In a variation of this embodiment, collecting CO2 gas from biogenic emissions includes: processing biomass using combustion, fermentation, digestion, decomposition, or combinations thereof to oxidize organic carbon of the biomass and thereby release CO2 gas; capturing the CO2 gas; and purifying the CO2 gas to: at least 10 wt.% purity, or at least 99 wt.% purity.

[24] In a variation of this embodiment, collecting CO2 gas from biogenic emissions includes: processing biomass using combustion, fermentation, digestion, decomposition, or combinations thereof to oxidize organic carbon of the biomass and thereby release CO2 gas; capturing the CO2 gas; and purifying the CO2 gas to at least 90 wt% or at least 99 wt% purity.

[25] In a variation of this embodiment, calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution produces excess CO2 gas and water, and the method further comprises: capturing the excess CO2 gas; purifying the excess CO2 gas to: at least 10 wt.% purity, or at least 99 wt.% purity; and combining the purified excess CO2 gas with the CO2 gas from the carbon neutral source.

[26] In a variation of this embodiment, calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution produces excess CO2 gas and water, and the method further comprises: capturing the excess CO2 gas; purifying the excess CO2 gas to at least 90 wt%, or at least 99 wt% purity; and combining the purified excess CO2 gas with the CO2 gas from the carbon neutral source.

[27] In the above and beneath embodiments or variations of embodiments, the CO2 gas comprising CO2, may comprise also : air, nitrogen (N2), dioxygen (O2), vaporised water (H2O), other gaseous impurities linked to the CO2 gas sourcing. For instance if said CO2 is sourced from ocean waters, or from desalination brines, trace impurities such as dimethyl sulfur (DMS), or natural pheromone (such as dictyopterenes generated by algae) may be present. If the CO2 gas is sourced from other biogenic carbon sources, the said CO2 may comprise traces of sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides, phosphorus oxides, and the like. Preferably in the present invention and its embodiments and subembodiments, traces of impurities such as suldur oxides, nitrogen oxides, phosphorus oxides, are preferably each of them or in combination in a concentration of at most 500 ppm by weight, preferably of at most 200 ppm by weight in the CO2 gas. The sum of all the gases constituting the CO2 gas being 100 wt.%.

[28] In a variation of this embodiment, the method further includes: reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce aqueous soda ash (Na2CO3(aq)).

[29] In a variation of this embodiment, the providing the brine includes combining NaCl with fresh water.

[30] In a variation of this embodiment, the providing the brine includes extracting brine from land-based brine deposits.

[31] In one aspect, a system for carbon neutral and / or carbon negative production of soda ash (Na2CO3) and / or or derivatives thereof may be provided. In one example, the system may comprise:(1) a brine source mechanism configured to provide a brine to a first chemical reaction mechanism; (2) the first chemical reaction mechanism configured to electrochemically decompose the brine to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and byproducts, wherein the byproducts comprise hydrogen (H2), chlorine (Cl2), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and combinations thereof; (3) a carbon neutral CO2 mechanism configured to provide CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source to a second chemical reaction mechanism, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water, collected from biogenic emissions, or a combination thereof; and (4) the second chemical reaction mechanism including: a reactor configured to react the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution, and a calciner configured to calcine the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash.

[32] In a variation of this embodiment, the H2 is gaseous H2, the Cl2 is gaseous Cl2, and / or the HCl is liquid HCl.

[33] In a variation of this embodiment, the reactor reacts the caustic soda with the CO2 gas with a caustic conversion to soda ash of: at least 70%, at least 80%, or at least 90%.

[34] In a variation of this embodiment, the reactor reacts the caustic soda with the CO2 gas with a CO2 conversion to soda ash of at least 10%, preferably at least 60%, more preferably 80%, even more preferably 90%.

[35] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains at least 26 wt.% of NaCl.

[36] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains at least 0.00005 wt.% dissolved carbonates.

[37] In a variation of this embodiment, the system contains a preconcentration module configured to concentrate the brine prior to entering the brine source mechanism.

[38] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine contains: at least 0.1 mol, preferably at least 0.3 mol, more preferably at least 1.0 mol, even more preferably at least 1.5 mol of dissolved carbonates or bicarbonates ions per cubic meter of brine.

[39] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine is a byproduct of seawater desalination.

[40] In a variation of this embodiment, the brine is a saline waste stream from reverse osmosis.

[41] In a variation of this embodiment, the carbon neutral CO2 mechanism includes a pH manipulation mechanism configured to: acidify the brine from seawater desalination to pH 4 using the HCl byproduct to decompose dissolved carbonates and thereby release CO2 gas; capture the CO2 gas; and purify the CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity.

[42] In a variation of this embodiment, the system further comprises an alkalization mechanism configured to: alkalize acidified wastewater from the pH manipulation mechanism to at least pH 7 using excess caustic soda to thereby produce alkaline wastewater; and release the alkaline wastewater into the ocean.

[43] In a variation of this embodiment, the carbon neutral CO2 mechanism includes a CO2 extraction mechanism configured to: process biomass using combustion, fermentation, digestion, decomposition, or combinations thereof to oxidize organic carbon of the biomass and thereby release CO2 gas; capture the CO2 gas; and purify the CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity.

[44] In a variation of this embodiment, calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution produces excess CO2 gas and water, and the system further comprises: a condenser configured to capture the excess CO2 gas; and a compressor configured to purify the excess CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity, wherein the purified excess CO2 gas is combined with the CO2 gas from the carbon neutral source.

[45] In another aspect, a carbon neutral or carbon negative method for producing soda ash (Na2CO3) and / or derivatives thereof may be provided. In one example, the method may include: (1) providing a brine and electrochemically decomposing the brine to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and byproducts, wherein the byproducts comprise gaseous hydrogen (H2), gaseous chlorine (Cl2), liquid hydrochloric acid (HCl) and combinations thereof; (2) providing a CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water, collected from biogenic emissions, or a combination thereof; and (3) reacting the caustic soda with a low concentration and / or volume of the CO2 gas to thereby produce soda ash.Brief description of the drawings

[46] Advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments which have been shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the present embodiments may be capable of other and different embodiments, and their details are capable of modification in various respects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

[47] The figures described below depict various aspects of the applications, methods, and systems disclosed herein. It should be understood that each figure depicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed applications, systems and methods, and that each of the figures is intended to accord with a possible embodiment thereof. Furthermore, wherever possible, the following description refers to the reference numerals included in the following figures, in which features depicted in multiple figures are designated with consistent reference numerals.

[48] FIG. 1A depicts an exemplary process for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash and hydrochloric acid.

[49] FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary process for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash, hydrogen, and chlorine.

[50] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary system for using electrochemical reactions to create, inter alia, (i) soda ash, (ii) CO2 gas, and / or (iii) hydrochloric acid.

[51] FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary method for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash.

[52] FIG. 3B depicts an exemplary method for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash by directly reacting caustic soda with CO2 gas.

[53] FIG. 4A depicts another exemplary process for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash and sodium bicarbonate.

[54] FIG. 4B depicts an exemplary process for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, hydrochloric acid, and alkaline water.

[55] FIG. 4C depicts an exemplary process for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, and alkaline water.

[56] FIG. 5 depicts example information of an example electrolysis process.

[57] FIG. 6 depicts example information of additional example electrolysis processes.

[58] FIG. 7 depicts example information of additional example electrolysis and electrodialysis processes.

[59] FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary method for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash.DeFINITION

[60] In the present specification, the term ‘purity’, refers to the common definition for a gas, a liquid or a solid, of the weight percentage content of the mentioned chemical compound referred to regarding the expressed purity. For instance ‘a CO2 gas of a purity of 90 wt.%’ refers to a CO2 gas comprising CO2, and which CO2 content of said CO2 gas is 90 % in weight of CO2. Detailed description

[61] FIG. 1A depicts an exemplary process 100a for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash (Na2CO3) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). In some embodiments, the process 100a includes using electrodialysis to create soda ash, liquid hydrochloric acid, hydrogen gas (H2), and / or chlorine gas (Cl2).

[62] Additionally or alternatively, the process 100a may include producing caustic soda (NaOH). In some embodiments, the process 100a may include providing a brine 102 (it should be appreciated that brine refers to a solution that is entirely or partially composed of (NaCl(aq))) and electrochemically decomposing (e.g., electrochemical reaction 110) the NaCl to thereby form caustic soda and byproducts such as hydrogen, chlorine, and / or hydrochloric acid. In some embodiments, the brine 102 may be a byproduct of desalination (e.g., desalination infrastructure 410 of FIGS. 4A - 4C) and may be stored in one or more reservoirs (e.g., a tank). In some embodiments, the process 100a may include alkalizing acidified wastewater from pH manipulation 114 to at least pH 7 using excess caustic soda from electrochemical reaction 110 to thereby produce alkaline wastewater 118, and releasing the alkaline wastewater into the ocean (e.g., alkaline water return 152). In some embodiments, the process 100a may include alkalizing acidified wastewater to a higher, such as pH 9, thereby allowing increasing the potential carbonate extraction from seawater and / or air (e.g., in an air based CO2 extraction variation of the embodiments disclosed herein).

[63] In some ocean-based examples, a small about of brine 102 is evaporated to concentrate the NaCl for use in either electrolysis or electrodialysis (e.g., at preconcentration 103) (e.g., to at least 20 wt% NaCl concentration).

[64] In some examples, optionally, prior to electrochemical reaction 110, the brine 102 may be degassed to remove dissolved gasses, such as N2, O2, dimethyl sulfur (DMS), and / or natural pheromone (such as dictyopterenes generated by algae). DMS and / or natural pheromone impairs sodium bicarbonate / carbonate for pharmaceutical applications, (and brings an odor to the final products detrimental for food market); so it is advantageous to remove them.

[65] In some examples, optionally, prior to electrochemical reaction 110, the brine 102 may be purified regarding: Br, I, Si, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Sr Ba, and / or SO4.

[66] Further regarding electrochemical reaction 110, and broadly speaking, the electrochemical reaction 110 may have two variations. A first in which electrodialysis is used to produce HCl that is used in the process, and where excess produced may be distilled and sold. And a second in which electrodialysis and electrolysis units are coupled in the electrochemical reaction 110, whereby HCl is produced by electrodialysis for water acidification and NaOH used for water alkalization, and electrolysis unit is used to produce NaOH for the CO2 reaction to make soda ash; and chlorine and H2 are produced as saleable secondary byproducts (e.g., dotted lines to chlorine 144 and hydrogen 146 in FIG. 1A.).

[67] As mentioned above, the process 100a may include producing byproducts (e.g., gaseous and liquid byproducts formed via electrochemical reaction 110) including one or more of hydrogen, chlorine, and / or hydrochloric acid. For example, the process 100a may include distilling (e.g., HCl distillation 112) liquid hydrochloric acid 142 from the electrochemical reaction 110, at an initial concentration range of 7-10 wt.%, to a minimum purity, typically between 7-40 wt.%, depending on a preferred purity and / or a downstream use case (e.g., a downstream use case of the process 100a or another process / method described herein; and / or a use case of an external organization). In some examples, block 112 distills the HCl to a purity of 35 wt.%.

[68] Additionally or alternatively, the process 100a may include acidifying (e.g., at pH manipulation 114) the brine 102 using the purified hydrochloric acid 142 from the electrochemical reaction 110 to decompose dissolved carbonates (e.g., CaCO3, Na2CO3, MgCO3, etc.) in the brine and thereby release CO2 gas. In some embodiments, the process 100a may include capturing the CO2 gas (e.g., at CO2 capture 116) and purifying the CO2 gas to a minimum amount (e.g., at least 10 wt.%, and up to 99 wt. %). For example, the process 100a may include purifying the CO2 gas to a purity range of 10 wt.% to 99 wt.%, depending on the required purity of downstream processes of the process 100a and / or another process / method described herein. Additionally, the purifying CO2 gas as described herein may include filtering out particular impurities (e.g., particularly for lower purity CO2; impurities such as N2, O2, CO2, sulfur compounds, etc.). Further, the process 100a may include capturing the CO2 gas by heating and / or mixing acidified brine in a CO2 stripping mechanism (e.g., a stripping column, a membrane based vacuum stripper, etc.). As another example, the process 100a may include capturing and chilling the chlorine gas (e.g., in a cooling tower at 160) from the electrochemical reaction 110 into liquid chlorine gas and purifying the chlorine 144 to a minimum amount (e.g., at least 99 wt.% chlorine, etc.). As yet another example, the process 100a may include capturing the hydrogen gas 146 from the electrochemical reaction 110 purifying the hydrogen gas 146 to a minimum amount (e.g., at least 99 wt.% hydrogen). It should be noted that the hydrogen and chlorine from electrochemical reaction 110 may be in gaseous form, and accordingly, may already be highly concentrated (e.g., 99 wt.% hydrogen, 99 wt.% chlorine). In some embodiments, the chlorine gas (Cl2) from electrochemical reaction 110 may be directly provided as an output of the process 100a, and the chilling step (e.g., cooling tower 160) may be omitted from the process 100a. Furthermore, it should be understood that one or more steps of the process 100a, and / or the other processes and flowcharts described herein with respect to FIG. 2-8, may be omitted in some embodiments.

[69] In some embodiments, the process 100a may include reacting (e.g., in reactor 120, one or more continuously stirred tank reactors, and / or another suitable reactor) the caustic soda from electrochemical reaction 110 with the CO2 gas from pH manipulation 114 to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution.

[70] In some embodiments, the process 100a may include calcining (e.g., in calciner 122, one or more kiln calciners, and / or another suitable calciner) the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash 140. Additionally, calcining (e.g., heating, etc.) the sodium bicarbonate solution may also produce gaseous byproducts including CO2 and water vapor (H2O). In some embodiments, the process 100a may include separating the combined CO2 and water vapor using condenser 130 (e.g., an air-cooled condenser, a water-cooled condenser, and / or another suitable condenser). In some embodiments, the process 100a may include combining the water from condenser 130 with the alkaline wastewater 118 and / or releasing the water from condenser 130 into the ocean (e.g., at alkaline water return 152). In some embodiments, the process 100a may include compressing the CO2 gas from condenser 130 using compressor 132 (e.g., a centrifugal compressor, a reciprocating compressor, and / or another suitable compressor) and combining the compressed CO2 gas with the CO2 gas from pH manipulation 114.

[71] In some embodiments, the process 100a may include producing aqueous soda ash (Na2CO3(aq)) directly from reacting (e.g., in reactor 120) the caustic soda from electrochemical reaction 110 with a reduced quantity and / or lower purity of CO2 gas from pH manipulation 114. Additionally, process 100a may include extracting soda ash from the aqueous soda ash solution.

[72] In some embodiments, a seawater intake 150 may be configured to draw seawater in from the ocean either directly, or by utilizing the pumping infrastructure of other industries such as desalination infrastructure(e.g., desalination infrastructure 410 of FIGS. 4A - 4C), sewage infrastructure, nuclear cooling water infrastructure, etc. In some embodiments, the brine 102 may be from a saline waste stream from reverse osmosis (e.g., seawater reverse osmosis “SWRO,” etc.), synthetic brine produced from combining NaCl and fresh water, brine extracted from land-based brine deposits, etc. Additionally, alkaline water return 152 may be configured to output alkaline wastewater 118 and / or other wastewater into the ocean either directly, or by utilizing existing pumping infrastructure. It should be noted that extracting CO2 from seawater as described herein with respect to FIGS. 1-8 includes removing NaOH and HCl / Cl2 + H2 from the drawn in seawater water and alkalizing the wastewater, thereby improving the drawn in seawater and producing net-negative CO2 emissions. Said another way, the exemplary processes described herein may be classified as a regenerative environmental technology provides significant advantages over conventional methods for soda ash and / or bicarbonate production.

[73] As is understood in the art, extracting from the ocean may be considered by some people to be carbon negative (similar to direct ocean capture) because it reduces carbon in the ocean.

[74] FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary process 100b for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash, hydrogen, chlorine, and alkaline water.

[75] The process 100b may include producing caustic soda. In some embodiments, the process 100b may include producing a synthetic brine by combining water and salt (NaCl). Additionally or alternatively, the process 100b may include producing caustic soda using the synthetic brine and / or brine 102 (e.g., brine from a desalination process). Moreover, the process 100b may include providing a brine and electrochemically decomposing (e.g., electrochemical reaction 110) the NaCl to thereby form caustic soda, hydrogen, and chlorine.

[76] Some land-based approach examples described herein use self-created brine by adding NaCl to water to create brine; additionally or alternatively, brine may be extracted from naturally occurring brine deposits that can be found in the ground.

[77] Similar to the process 100a, the exemplary process 100b may include capturing and chilling the chlorine from the electrochemical reaction 110 (e.g., chlorine chilling 160) and purifying the chlorine 144 to a minimum amount (e.g., at least 99 wt.% chlorine 144). Similarly, the process 100b may include capturing the hydrogen gas 146 from the electrochemical reaction 110 and purifying the hydrogen gas to a minimum amount (e.g., at least 99 wt.% hydrogen).

[78] In some embodiments, the process 100b may include reacting (e.g., in reactor 120) the caustic soda from electrochemical reaction 110 with CO2 gas from a biogenic source 170 to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate solution. It should be noted that the present techniques include utilizing carbon neutral CO2 sources, such as CO2 liberated from brine (e.g., process 100a) and / or CO2 from a biogenic source (e.g., process 100b), and utilizing renewable energy sources for the energy requirements of the exemplary process described herein (e.g., electrochemical reaction 110, reactor 120, calciner 122, etc.), thereby eliminating the need for carbon intensive CO2 sources such as cation carbonates produced from limestone. Additionally or alternatively, the process 100b may include obtaining biogenic emissions from an external source (e.g., biogenic emissions produced from biomass by an outside organization) and capturing and purifying CO2 gas therefrom to be reacted with the caustic soda from electrochemical reaction 110.

[79] In some embodiments, the process 100b may include calcining (e.g., in calciner 122) the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash 140. As mentioned above, calcining (e.g., heating) the sodium bicarbonate solution may also produce gaseous byproducts including CO2 and water vapor. In some embodiments, the process 100b may include separating the CO2 and water vapor, similar to the process 100a (e.g., using condenser 130). In some embodiments, the process 100b may include compressing the CO2 gas from condenser 130 (e.g., using compressor 132) and combining the compressed CO2 gas with the CO2 gas from the biogenic source 170. It should be understood that one or more steps of the process 100a and / or one or more steps of the process 100b may be implemented to produce soda ash. For example, a portion of the CO2 used in electrochemical reaction 110 may be extracted from brine (e.g., the process 100a) and another portion of the CO2 used in the electrochemical reaction 110 may be from a biogenic source (e.g., the process 100b). As another example, the electrochemical reaction 110 may be implemented under various conditions. Continuing with this example, the electrochemical reaction 110 may produce caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, and / or chlorine. As yet another example, the process 100b may include, similar to the process 100a, acidifying brine (e.g., brine 102, synthetic brine) using the hydrochloric acid byproduct to form CO2 gas.

[80] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary system 200 for the carbon neutral (or negative) production of soda ash (Na2CO3), as well as CO2, chlorine (Cl), hydrogen (H2), hydrochloric acid (HCl), bicarbonate (NaHCO3), and / or other chemical products discussed herein. For instance, in some examples, soda ash may be in the end product. In other examples, the process may stop when bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is produced (e.g., at block 121 of FIGS. 1A and 1B). Advantageously, this creates a flexible system that may be adapted to current market demands.

[81] The exemplary system 200 may include seawater intake 210, a chemical reaction mechanism 220 (such as an electrodialysis or electrolysis mechanism), a pH manipulation mechanism 230, a CO2 extraction mechanism 240, a compressor 245, a biogenic CO2 source 250, a chemical reaction mechanism 260, a reservoir 270, an alkalinization mechanism 280, and / or a water outtake 290.

[82] In some embodiments, the seawater intake 210 (e.g., seawater intake 150 of FIG. 1A) may be configured to draw seawater in from the ocean either directly or by utilizing the pumping infrastructure of other industries (e.g., desalination, sewage, nuclear cooling water, etc.). The seawater intake 210 may be configured to route a portion of brine produced from the seawater (e.g., brine from desalination infrastructure 410 of FIGS. 4A-4C, brine produced by purifying the seawater and / or adding NaCl to the seawater, etc.) to the chemical reaction mechanism 220. The seawater intake 210 may, additionally or alternatively, be configured to route a separate portion of brine to the pH manipulation mechanism 230.

[83] In some embodiments, the chemical reaction mechanism 220 may be configured to initiate an electrochemical reaction (e.g., electrochemical reaction 110 of FIGS. 1A-1B) wherein the water (H2O) and salt (NaCl) molecules of the brine (e.g., brine 102 of FIGS. 1A-1B, brine from seawater intake 210, synthetic brine from another component of the system 200) are rearranged / decomposed into an acidic solution (HCl) and a basic solution (NaOH). Further, the chemical reaction mechanism 220 may be configured to initiate an electrochemical reaction wherein the brine is decomposed to thereby form one or more gaseous byproducts including hydrogen (H2) and chlorine (Cl or Cl2). In some embodiments, the chemical reaction mechanism 220 may comprise of one or more chambers for electrochemically decomposing the brine. For example, the chemical reaction mechanism 220 may be configured to initiate an electrochemical reaction in a first chamber wherein a first portion of the brine is decomposed to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) and the chemical reaction mechanism 220 may be configured to initiate an electrochemical reaction in a second chamber wherein a second portion of the brine is decomposed to thereby form caustic soda, hydrogen, and chlorine. The chemical reaction mechanism 220 may, additionally or alternatively, be configured to route the HCl to the pH manipulation mechanism 230, route any excess HCl to the reservoir 270, route the NaOH to the chemical reaction mechanism 260, and route any excess NaOH to the alkalinization mechanism 280. Additionally or alternatively, the chemical reaction mechanism 220 may be configured to route any byproducts formed during an electrochemical reaction to the reservoir 270.

[84] In some embodiments, the pH manipulation mechanism 230 may be configured to acidify the brine (e.g., brine 102 of FIGS. 1A-1B, brine from seawater intake 210, synthetic brine from another component of the system 200) to a pH range between pH 3 and pH 5 (e.g., at pH manipulation 114 of FIG. 1A) using the HCl byproduct from the chemical reaction mechanism 220 (e.g., by mixing the brine and HCl) to decompose dissolved carbonates in the brine and thereby release CO2 gas. In some embodiments, the pH manipulation mechanism may acidify the brine to at least pH 4, or another specific pH value, depending on the implementation. The pH manipulation mechanism 230 may, additionally or alternatively, be configured to route the acidified brine to the CO2 extraction mechanism 240.

[85] In some embodiments, the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 may be included in the pH manipulation mechanism 230 (although not depicted in FIG. 2 as such). In some embodiments, the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 may be configured to capture the CO2 gas by heating and / or mixing the acidified brine (e.g., CO2 capture 116 of FIG. 1A) using a stripping mechanism (e.g., a stripping column, a membrane based vacuum stripper, etc., included in the CO2 extraction mechanism 240). The CO2 extraction mechanism 240 may, additionally or alternatively, include a purifying mechanism and an excess compressor. The purifying mechanism may be configured to purify the CO2 gas to a minimum amount (e.g., at least 10 wt.% purity, and up to 99 wt. %). The excess compressor may be configured to compress the purified CO2 gas and route the purified CO2 gas to the chemical reaction mechanism 260. In some embodiments, the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 and / or pH manipulation mechanism 230 may be configured to route acidified wastewater to the alkalinization mechanism 280 and / or the water outtake 290.

[86] In some embodiments, the CO2 from biogenic CO2 source 250 (e.g., biogenic source 170 of FIG. 1B) may be produced by processing any biomass or other organic material. For example, the biogenic CO2 source 250 may include processing mechanisms configured to process biomass using combustion, fermentation, digestion, decomposition, or combinations thereof to oxidize organic carbon of the biomass and thereby release CO2 gas (biogenic emissions). Additionally or alternatively, the biogenic CO2 source 250 may include a CO2 extraction mechanism configured to capture the CO2 gas and / or a compressor configured to purify the CO2 gas to a minimum amount (e.g., at least 10 wt.% purity, and up to 99 wt. %).

[87] In some embodiments, the chemical reaction mechanism 260 may include a first reactor, (e.g., reactor 120 of FIGS. 1A-1B), a calciner (e.g., calciner 122 of FIGS. 1A-1B), and a second reactor (e.g., reactor 120 of FIGS. 1A-1B). The first reactor may be configured to react (e.g., in a first chamber, in reactor 120, etc.) NaOH from the chemical reaction mechanism 220 with the CO2 gas from the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 and / or the CO2 gas from the biogenic CO2 source 250 to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution. It should be noted that one or both or the CO2 gas from the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 (e.g., CO2 gas produced from brine / seawater) and the CO2 gas from the biogenic CO2 source 250 (e.g., CO2 gas produced from biomass) may be carbon neutral (e.g., a process, or product by which, emitted CO2 is at least equivalent to the amount of removed or offset CO2, resulting in net-zero, or neutral, CO2 emissions). Additionally, the CO2 gas from the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 (e.g., CO2 gas extracted from ocean water as described herein) may be carbon negative (e.g., a process, or product by which, emitted CO2 is less then the amount of removed or offset CO2, resulting in net-negative CO2 emissions) in some embodiments. Accordingly, if both sources are carbon neutral and further if a carbon neutral energy source (e.g., solar power, etc.) is used to power the electrochemical reactions initiated by the system 200, all of the chemical products produced by the system 200 and the methods / processes described herein are carbon neutral, or green products.

[88] The calciner may be configured to calcine (e.g., heat in a second chamber, heat in calciner 122, etc.) the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash (Na2CO3). Further, calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution may produce one or more byproducts including CO2 and water (H2O). Additionally or alternatively, the calciner may be configured to route the soda ash to the reservoir 270 and the excess CO2 and water to a condenser (e.g., condenser 130 of FIGS. 1A-1B). The condenser may be configured to separate the excess CO2 and water. Additionally or alternatively, the condenser may be configured to route the CO2 gas to excess compressor 245 (e.g., compressor 132 of FIGS. 1A-1B) to be combined with the purified CO2 gas from the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 and the condenser may be configured to route the excess water to the water outtake 290. In some embodiments, the excess compressor 245 may be configured to compress and / or purify the excess CO2 gas from the chemical reaction mechanism 260 and route the CO2 gas into the output stream (e.g., purified CO2 gas) or the feed stream of the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 (e.g., route the excess CO2 gas back into the chemical reaction mechanism 260). In some embodiments, the second reactor may be configured to react a waste CO2 gas and water (H2O) solution with soda ash to produce purified sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). The second reactor may, additionally or alternatively, be configured to route the purified sodium bicarbonate to the reservoir 270.

[89] In some embodiments, the reservoir 270 may be configured to store a plurality of substances simultaneously, and separately, including CO2 gas (e.g., from the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 and / or the biogenic source 250), sodium bicarbonate (e.g., produced via the second reactor of the reaction mechanism 220), soda ash (e.g., from the calciner of the reaction mechanism 220), hydrochloric acid (e.g., from the chemical reaction mechanism 220), caustic soda (e.g., from the chemical reaction mechanism 220), chlorine (e.g., from the chemical reaction mechanism 220), hydrogen (e.g., from the chemical reaction mechanism 220), and / or other substances produced by the systems and methods described herein. In some embodiments, the chemical products / substances stored in the reservoir 270 may be stored and / or processed for commercial use. As mentioned above, the chemical products produced by the systems and methods described herein may be carbon neutral products (green products), and accordingly, the reservoir 270 may store green chemical products.

[90] In some embodiments, the alkalinization mechanism 280 may be configured to alkalize the acidified wastewater from the pH manipulation mechanism 230 (e.g., wastewater produced by the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 processing the acidified brine) to at least pH 7 using the excess caustic soda from the chemical reaction mechanism 220 to thereby produce alkaline wastewater (e.g., alkaline wastewater 118 of FIG. 1A). The alkalinization mechanism 280 may, additionally or alternatively, be configured to route the alkaline wastewater to the water outtake 290 (e.g., release the alkaline wastewater into the ocean, alkaline water return 152).

[91] It should be appreciated that any of the elements of FIG. 2 (and also FIGS. 4A-4C described below) may include one or more additional components for, among other things, routing, purifying, and / or compressing outputs. For example, pipes, valves, control mechanisms for the valves (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories, etc.), etc., may be included in any of the included seawater intake 210, chemical reaction mechanism 220, pH manipulation mechanism 230, CO2 extraction mechanism 240, compressor 245, biogenic CO2 source 250, chemical reaction mechanism 260, reservoir 270, and / or alkalinization mechanism 280. As another example, the system 200 may include a chlorine chilling mechanism (e.g., chlorine chilling 160 of FIGS. 1A-1B), a hydrochloric acid distillation mechanism (e.g., HCl distillation 112 of FIG. 1A), and / or other suitable mechanisms or components for further processing chemical products / outputs.

[92] Referring next to FIG. 3A, a flowchart illustrates an example carbon neutral or negative method 300 for producing soda ash (Na2CO3). Though the example method 300 is described below with regard to the exemplary process 100a and the exemplary process 100b, it will be recognized that any similarly suitable process and / or method may be used to implement method 300.

[93] At block 302, a brine is provided and electrochemically decomposed (e.g., by chemical reaction mechanism 220 of FIG. 2) to thereby form caustic soda and byproducts, wherein the byproducts comprise gaseous hydrogen (H2), gaseous chlorine (Cl2), gaseous or liquid hydrochloric acid (HCl) and / or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the brine contains a minimum amount (e.g., at least 26 wt.%) of NaCl. In some embodiments, when the hydrochloric acid byproduct is liquid hydrochloric acid, the liquid hydrochloric acid byproduct may have an initial concentration range of 3-10 wt.%, preferably 7-10 wt.%. Additionally or alternatively, the brine may contain a minimum amount (e.g., at least 0.00005 wt.%, etc.) of dissolved carbonates. In some embodiments, the brine may contain dissolved bicarbonates of at least 0.00015 wt. %, however the techniques described herein include extracting CO2 from brine containing a lower concentration of dissolved carbonates. In some embodiments, the brine is a byproduct of seawater desalination (e.g., brine produced by desalination infrastructure 410 of FIGS. 4A-4C and / or routed to the chemical reaction mechanism 220 by seawater intake 210 of FIG. 2). Additionally or alternatively, the brine may be a saline waste stream from reverse osmosis.

[94] At block 304, a CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source and / or a carbon negative source is provided, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water (e.g., pH manipulation 114 of FIG. 1A, pH manipulation mechanism 230 of FIG. 2), collected from biogenic emissions (e.g., biogenic CO2 source 170 of FIG. 1B, biogenic CO2 source 250 of FIG. 2, etc.), or a combination thereof. For example, extracting CO2 gas from ocean water may be carbon negative and may include: acidifying (e.g., by pH manipulation mechanism 230) the brine from seawater desalination to a predetermined pH (e.g., pH 3, pH 4, pH 4.5, pH 5, or pH 5.5, etc.) using the HCl byproduct to decompose dissolved carbonates and thereby release CO2 gas; capturing the CO2 gas (e.g., by the CO2 extraction mechanism 240 of FIG. 2); and purifying the CO2 gas to a minimum purity (e.g., at least 10 wt.% purity, and up to 99 wt. %) (e.g., using a compressors such as the compressor 245 of FIG. 2). Further, acidifying the brine from seawater desalination produces acidified wastewater. The example method 300 may further include: alkalizing (e.g., by the alkalinization mechanism 280) the acidified wastewater to a predetermined pH (e.g., at least pH, 6, pH 7, pH 8, etc.) using excess caustic soda to thereby produce alkaline wastewater; and releasing the alkaline wastewater into the ocean. As another example, collecting CO2 gas from biogenic emissions is carbon neutral and may include: processing (e.g., by a CO2 extraction mechanism of the biogenic CO2 source 250 of FIG. 2) biomass using combustion, fermentation, digestion, decomposition, or combinations thereof to oxidize the organic carbon and thereby release CO2 gas; capturing the CO2 gas; and purifying the CO2 gas to a minimum purity (e.g., at least 10 wt.% purity, and up to 99 wt. %).

[95] At block 306, the caustic soda is reacted (e.g., by chemical reaction mechanism 260 of FIG. 2) with the CO2 gas to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution. In some embodiments, the example method 300 further includes reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas with a conversion to a minimum level of soda ash (e.g., a conversion at least between 70-80%; some implementations may achieve a conversion of 90% or higher).

[96] At block 308, the sodium bicarbonate solution is calcined (e.g., by the chemical reaction mechanism 260) to thereby produce the soda ash. Additionally or alternatively, calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution produces excess CO2 gas and water. The example method 300 may further include: capturing the excess CO2 gas (e.g., by condenser 130); purifying the excess CO2 gas to a minimum purity (e.g., at least 10 wt.% purity, and up to 99 wt. %) (e.g., by compressor 245, by compressor 132); and / or combining the purified excess CO2 gas with the CO2 gas from the carbon neutral source.

[97] Referring next to FIG. 3B, a flowchart illustrates an example carbon neutral or negative method 350 for producing soda ash (Na2CO3). With reference thereto, blocks 302 and 304 may be performed in the same (or substantially the same) manner as in FIG. 3A.

[98] At block 360, the caustic soda may be reacted with the CO2 gas to directly produce the soda ash. In some examples, a low concentration of CO2 gas, such as at least 15 wt.%, 30 wt.% to 40 wt.%, higher than 40 wt.% if other gases are present, etc., may be used to directly produce the soda ash or the sodium bicarbonate. In some examples a low concentration in CO2 of the CO2 gas, such as 3 to 8 wt.%, or 6 to 10 wt. %, may be used to directly produce the soda ash.

[99] FIG. 4A depicts an exemplary process 400a for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash (Na2CO3) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). The process 400a may include providing brine 102 and electrochemically decomposing (e.g., electrochemical reaction 110) the brine to thereby form caustic soda and hydrochloric acid. Additionally, the process 400a may include acidifying (e.g., pH manipulation 114) the brine 102 using hydrochloric acid (e.g., purified hydrochloric acid 142 of FIG. 1A) from the electrochemical reaction 110 to decompose dissolved carbonates (e.g., CaCO3, Na2CO3, MgCO3, etc.) in the brine and thereby release CO2 gas. In some embodiments, the process 400a may include capturing the CO2 gas and purifying the CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% (e.g., CO2 capture 116).

[100] In some embodiments, the process 400a may include reacting (e.g., in reactor 120, one or more continuously stirred tank reactors, and / or another suitable reactor) the caustic soda from electrochemical reaction 110 with the CO2 gas from pH manipulation 114 to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution.

[101] In some embodiments, the process 400a may include calcining (e.g., in calciner 122, one or more kiln calciners, and / or another suitable calciner) the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash (Na2CO3). Additionally, calcining (e.g., heating) the sodium bicarbonate solution may also produce gaseous byproducts including CO2 and water vapor (e.g., CO2 + H2O). In some embodiments, the process 400a may include reacting (e.g., in reactor 420, one or more continuously stirred tank reactors, and / or another suitable reactor) a first portion of the combined CO2 and water vapor with a first portion of soda ash from reactor 120 to thereby produce sodium bicarbonate. In some embodiments, the process 400a may include separating a second portion of the CO2 and water vapor using condenser 130 (e.g., an air-cooled condenser, a water-cooled condenser, and / or another suitable condenser). In some embodiments, the process 400a may include combining the water from condenser 130 with the alkaline wastewater 118 and / or releasing the water from condenser 130 into the ocean (e.g., alkaline water return 152). In some embodiments, the process 400a may include compressing the CO2 gas from condenser 130 using compressor 132 (e.g., a centrifugal compressor, a reciprocating compressor, and / or another suitable compressor) and combining the compressed CO2 gas with the CO2 gas from pH manipulation 114. In some embodiments, a seawater intake 150 may be configured to draw seawater in from the ocean either directly, or by utilizing the pumping infrastructure of other industries such as desalination infrastructure 410, sewage infrastructure, nuclear cooling water infrastructure, etc.

[102] In some embodiments, the process 400a may include routing a second portion of the soda ash from calciner 122 and the sodium bicarbonate from reactor 420 to a reservoir 440a for storage and / or commercial use.

[103] FIG. 4B depicts an exemplary process 400b for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash (Na2CO3), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), and hydrochloric acid (HCl).

[104] In some embodiments, the process 400b may include alkalizing acidified wastewater from pH manipulation 114 and / or CO2 capture 116 to at least pH 7 using a portion of the caustic soda from electrochemical reaction 110 to thereby produce alkaline wastewater 118 and releasing the alkaline wastewater into the ocean (e.g., alkaline water return 152).

[105] In some embodiments, the process 400b may include routing a second portion of the soda ash from calciner 122, the sodium bicarbonate from reactor 420, and the hydrochloric acid from electrochemical reaction 110 to a reservoir 440b for storage and / or commercial use.

[106] FIG. 4C depicts an exemplary process 400c for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash (Na2CO3), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), and carbon dioxide (CO2).

[107] In some embodiments, the process 400c may include not routing excess HCl from electrochemical reaction 110 to the reservoir 440b (e.g., as opposed to process 400b wherein the excess HCl is stored in reservoir 440b). Additionally, the process 400c may include providing all of the HCl from electrochemical reaction 110 to pH manipulation 114 and thereby producing excess CO2 gas.

[108] In some embodiments, the process 400c may include routing the second portion of the soda ash from calciner 122, the sodium bicarbonate from reactor 420, and any excess CO2 gas (e.g., the excess CO2 gas from pH manipulation 114 and / or excess CO2 gas from compressor 132) to the reservoir 440c for storage and / or commercial use.

[109] It should be appreciated that quantities depicted in FIGS. 4A-4C are simply examples, and any quantities are possible. For instance, the quantity of brine depicted in FIG. 4A, and any quantity of brine is possible to use in accordance with the techniques described herein.

[110] It should be understood that not all blocks and / or events of the exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts are required to be performed. Moreover, the exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts are not mutually exclusive (e.g., block(s) / events from each example signal diagram and / or flowchart may be performed in any other signal diagram and / or flowchart). The exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts may include additional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

[111] FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 each depict example information of example electrolysis processes, such as may be implemented via the process 100a of FIG. 1A, the process 100b of FIG. 1B, and / or the processes 400a-400c of FIGS. 4A-4C. Further, it should be understood that FIG. 6-7 are exemplary only and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention.

[112] It should be understood that electrolysis produces hydrogen and chlorine. Electrolysis may also produce NaOH and / or HCl (depending on the substances being electrolyzed and / or the setup of the electrolysis process).

[113] FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary method 800 for using electrochemical reactions to create soda ash.

[114] The example method 800 may begin at block 805 when a chemical reaction station (e.g., reactor 120) may initiate an electrochemical reaction using electricity to rearrange a first portion of seawater into an acidic solution and a basic solution.

[115] At block 810 a pH manipulation station (e.g., pH manipulation 114 of FIG. 1A) may mix a second portion of seawater with a first portion of the acidic solution from the chemical reaction station, wherein mixing the seawater and the acidic solution produces acidified seawater and converts dissolved bicarbonate to CO2 gas.

[116] At block 815, an extraction station (e.g., CO2 capture 116 of FIG. 1A) may capture the CO2 gas by heating and / or mixing the CO2 gas using a stripping mechanism (e.g., a stripping column, a membrane based vacuum stripper, etc.).

[117] At block 820, a first reactor (e.g., of a reaction station) may combine the CO2 gas from the extraction station with the basic solution from the chemical reaction station.

[118] At block 825, a calcinator (e.g., of the reaction station) may heat the combined CO2 gas and basic solution to produce soda ash and route the soda ash to a reservoir

[119] It should be understood that not all blocks and / or events of the exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts are required to be performed. Moreover, the exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts are not mutually exclusive (e.g., block(s) / events from each example signal diagram and / or flowchart may be performed in any other signal diagram and / or flowchart). The exemplary signal diagrams and / or flowcharts may include additional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.Additional Exemplary Aspects

[120] Aspect 1. A system that uses chemical reactions to generate biogenic carbon dioxide for the creation of carbon neutral cation carbonates, including but not limited to soda ash and / or bicarbonate, with acidic by-product for utilisation or sale, comprising:a chemical reaction station, not limited to but including electrodialysis, configured to initiate a chemical reaction, not limited to but including the rearranging of a ions in a small portion of brine, to create an acidic solution and a basic solution;a pH manipulation station, downstream of the chemical reaction station, configured to mix a second portion of the seawater with a first portion of the acidic solution from the chemical reaction station, wherein mixing the seawater and the acidic solution produces acidified seawater and converts dissolved bicarbonate to carbon dioxide gas;an extraction station, downstream of the pH manipulation station, configured to capture and purify the carbon dioxide gas by heating and / or mixing the acidified seawater discharge, with carbon dioxide gas, in a stripping column, or other similar equipment to liberate and capture carbon dioxide from seawater; a reaction station, downstream of the extraction station and the chemical reaction station, wherein the reaction station includes:a first reactor configured to combine the CO2 gas from the extraction station with the basic solution from the chemical reaction station; andoptionally a calciner, downstream of the first reactor, configured to heat the combined CO2 gas and basic solution to produce soda ash, and route the soda ash to a reservoir.

[121] Aspect 2. The system of aspect 1, wherein the reaction station further includes:a second reactor, downstream of the calciner, configured to react a waste bicarbonate and water solution with soda ash to produce sodium bicarbonate, and route the sodium bicarbonate to the reservoir.

[122] Aspect 3. The system of any one of aspects 1-2, further comprising:a condenser, downstream of the reaction station, configured to separate excess waste bicarbonate and water solution from the calciner into excess CO2 gas and excess water; andan excess compressor, downstream of the condenser, configured to compress the excess CO2 gas and route a first portion of the compressed excess CO2 gas back to the extraction station.

[123] Aspect 4. The system of any one of aspects 1-3, wherein the excess compressor is further configured to route a second portion of the excess CO2 gas to the reservoir.

[124] Aspect 5. The system of any one of aspects 1-4, wherein the chemical reaction station is configured to route a second portion of the acidic solution to the reservoir.

[125] Aspect 6. The system of any one of aspects 1-5, further comprising:an alkalinization station, downstream of the chemical reaction station and the pH manipulation station, configured to combine excess basic solution from the electrodialysis station with the acidified seawater from the pH manipulation station to produce alkaline water.

[126] Aspect 7. The system of any one of aspects 1-6, wherein the extraction station further includes:a purifier configured to purify the CO2 gas to at least 99 percent purity; anda bicarbonate compressor configured to compress the CO2 gas.

[127] Aspect 8. A system for creating soda ash and / or bicarbonate, comprising:an electrodialysis station, configured to initiate an electrochemical reaction to rearrange a first portion of seawater into an acidic solution and a basic solution;a pH manipulation station, downstream of the electrodialysis station, configured to mix a second portion of the seawater with a first portion of the acidic solution from the electrodialysis station, wherein mixing the seawater and the acidic solution produces acidified seawater and converts dissolved bicarbonate to CO2 gas;an extraction station, downstream of the pH manipulation station, configured to capture the CO2 gas by heating and / or mixing the CO2 gas in a stripping column or an alternative CO2 stripping mechanism (e.g., a membrane-based vacuum stripper, etc.); a reaction station, downstream of the extraction station and the electrodialysis station, wherein the reaction station includes:a first reactor configured to combine the CO2 gas from the extraction station with the basic solution from the electrodialysis station; anda calciner, downstream of the first reactor, configured to heat the combined CO2 gas and basic solution to produce soda ash, and route the soda ash to a reservoir.Further Examples

[128] Example 1: A synthetic sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) retentate with typical content of seawater desalination unit, was prepared by dissolving 300 mg / L NaHCO3 and 9 mg / L Na2CO3 in a sodium chloride brine, which NaCl content was adjusted to 70 g / L by dilution. The pH of the solution thus obtained was adjusted to 8.1, and it was introduced in a 1.5 Liter glass reactor stirred at 25°C.

[129] The first test was performed by gradually adding HCL 2M (73 g HCl / L) into the reactor until gradually reaching pH of 7.0, 6.0, 5.0 and 3.0 to 4.0. After reaching each targeted set pH, a waiting time of 30 minutes was observed, during which the pH evolution was recorded. At the end of each waiting time, a 100 mL aliquot was sampled from the reactor with an external pump. The total alkalinity content was determined in each sample, and the amount of CO2 extracted was obtained by mass balance. Once the pH reached 4.0, the solution was drained and placed in a desiccator under a vacuum of (700 mbar absolute) for 15 minutes.

[130] The test results show that most of CO2 (>95%) was extracted already at pH 5.0. The test results are shown below in Table 1.Table 1

[131] Example 2: A second test was carried out using the same equipment and initial solution as the first test. In this test, the pH was reduced to a target value of 4.5 by addition of HCl, and sampling was done every 5 minutes to determine the total alkalinity content of the solution.

[132] At pH 4.3 and after 5 minutes, CO2 recovery already reached 96%, while the maximum recovery was observed after 10 minutes (97.5%). The test results are shown below in Table 2.Table 2 

[133] Example 3: A third test was carried out using the same equipment and solution as the previous tests of examples 1 & 2, except for a vacuum pump which was connected to the reactor to decrease the gas phase pressure down to 300 mbar absolute. The pH was reduced to a target value of 4.5 by addition of HCl, and sampling was done every 5 minutes to determine the total alkalinity content of the solution. In these conditions, formation of gas bubbles in the solution was visible even before the HCl addition, implying that a part of soluble gases is degassed by the action of vacuum.

[134] The test results, shown below in Table 3, are comparable to those obtained at atmospheric pressure, maximum CO2 recovery occurring after 5 minutes from injection of HCl.Table 3 Other matters

[135] Although the text herein sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment, as describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. One could implement numerous alternate embodiments, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.

[136] It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘_______’ is hereby defined to mean…” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based upon any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this disclosure is referred to in this disclosure in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning.

[137] Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

[138] Additionally, certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, or instructions. These may constitute either software (code embodied on a non-transitory, tangible machine-readable medium) or hardware. In hardware, the routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardware module that operates to perform certain operations as described herein.

[139] In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implemented mechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured (e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to perform certain operations). A hardware module may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware module mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

[140] Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modules comprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respective different hardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configure a processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at a different instance of time.

[141] Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive information from, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardware modules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiple of such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) that connect the hardware modules. In embodiments in which multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information).

[142] The various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modules that operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modules referred to herein may, in some example embodiments, comprise processor-implemented modules.

[143] Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at least partially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors may be located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments the processors may be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

[144] Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using words such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions or processes of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical) quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or other machine components that receive, store, transmit, or display information.

[145] As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[146] Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodiments may be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

[147] As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

[148] In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the description. This description, and the claims that follow, should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

[149] Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternative structural and functional designs for the approaches described herein. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes and variations, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.

[150] The particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment may be combined in any suitable manner and in any suitable combination with one or more other embodiments, including the use of selected features without corresponding use of other features. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular application, situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the present invention. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[151] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, it should be understood that the invention is not so limited and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, and all devices that come within the meaning of the claims, either literally or by equivalence, are intended to be embraced therein.

[152] It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.

[153] Furthermore, the patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for” or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s). The systems and methods described herein are directed to an improvement to computer functionality, and improve the functioning of conventional computers. 

Claims

1. A carbon neutral or carbon negative method for producing soda ash (Na2CO3) and / or derivatives thereof, the method comprising: providing a brine and electrochemically decomposing the brine to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and byproducts, wherein the byproducts comprise hydrogen (H2), chlorine (Cl2), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and combinations thereof;providing a CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water, collected from biogenic emissions, or a combination thereof; reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution; andcalcining the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash.

2. The method of claim 1, further including reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas with a caustic conversion to soda ash of at least 80%.

3. The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the brine contains at least a particular weight percentage of NaCl, wherein the particular weight percentage is a percentage within 3% to 45%.

4. The method of the preceding claim, wherein the brine contains an NaCl weight percentage within 6% to 28%.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the brine contains at least 0.00005 wt.% dissolved carbonates.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the brine is or derives from seawater desalination.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the brine is or derives from saline waste stream from reverse osmosis.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein extracting CO2 gas from ocean water includes:acidifying the brine from seawater desalination to pH 4 using the HCl byproduct to decompose dissolved carbonates and thereby release CO2 gas;capturing the CO2 gas; andpurifying the CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein acidifying the brine from seawater desalination produces acidified wastewater and wherein the method further includes:alkalizing the acidified wastewater to at least pH 7 using excess caustic soda to thereby produce alkaline wastewater; andreleasing the alkaline wastewater into an ocean.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein collecting CO2 gas from biogenic emissions includes:processing biomass using combustion, fermentation, digestion, decomposition, or combinations thereof to oxidize organic carbon of the biomass and thereby release CO2 gas;capturing the CO2 gas; andpurifying the CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution produces excess CO2 gas and water, and wherein the method further comprises:capturing the excess CO2 gas; purifying the excess CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity; andcombining the purified excess CO2 gas with the CO2 gas from the carbon neutral source.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, further including:reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce aqueous soda ash (Na2CO3(aq)).

13. A system for carbon neutral production of soda ash (Na2CO3) and / or derivatives thereof, the system comprising: a brine source mechanism configured to provide a brine to a first chemical reaction mechanism;the first chemical reaction mechanism configured to electrochemically decompose the brine to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and byproducts, wherein the byproducts comprise hydrogen (H2), chlorine (Cl2), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and combinations thereof;a carbon neutral CO2 mechanism configured to provide CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source to a second chemical reaction mechanism, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water, collected from biogenic emissions, or a combination thereof; andthe second chemical reaction mechanism including: a reactor configured to react the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution, anda calciner configured to calcine the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the reactor reacts the caustic soda with the CO2 gas with a conversion to soda ash of at least 80%.

15. The system of any one of claims 13-14, wherein the brine contains at least 26 wt.% of NaCl.

16. The system of any one of claims 13-15, wherein the brine contains at least 0.00005 wt.% dissolved carbonates.

17. The system of any one of claims 13-16, wherein the brine is a byproduct of seawater desalination.

18. The system of any one of claims 13-17, wherein the brine is a saline waste stream from reverse osmosis.

19. The system of any one of claims 13-18, wherein the carbon neutral CO2 mechanism includes a pH manipulation mechanism configured to:acidify the brine from seawater desalination to pH 4 using the HCl byproduct to decompose dissolved carbonates and thereby release CO2 gas;capture the CO2 gas; andpurify the CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity.

20. The system of any one of claims 13-19, further comprising an alkalization mechanism configured to:alkalize acidified wastewater from the pH manipulation mechanism to at least pH 7 using excess caustic soda to thereby produce alkaline wastewater; and release the alkaline wastewater into an ocean.

21. The system of any one of claims 13-20, wherein the carbon neutral CO2 mechanism includes a CO2 extraction mechanism configured to:process biomass using combustion, fermentation, digestion, decomposition, or combinations thereof to oxidize organic carbon of the biomass and thereby release CO2 gas;capture the CO2 gas; andpurify the CO2 gas to at least 10 wt.% purity.ABSTRACTMethods for producing soda ash using carbon neutral and / or carbon negative carbon dioxide sources are disclosed herein. An example method comprises: providing a brine and electrochemically decomposing the brine to thereby form caustic soda (NaOH) and gaseous or liquid byproducts, wherein the gaseous or liquid byproducts comprise hydrogen (H2), chlorine (Cl2), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and combinations thereof, providing a CO2 gas from a carbon neutral source, wherein the CO2 gas is extracted from ocean water, collected from biogenic emissions, or a combination thereof, reacting the caustic soda with the CO2 gas to thereby produce a sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solution, and calcining the sodium bicarbonate solution to thereby produce soda ash.

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