Direct Air CO2 Contactors With Hydrophilic Packing Sheets

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing DAC systems face challenges in capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere due to low CO2 concentrations and large air volumes, with commercially available cooling tower packing being suboptimal for low liquid flow rates and leading to poor wetting and reduced CO2 uptake.

Innovation Solution

Designing a gas-liquid contactor system with hydrophilic packing sheets featuring macrostructures and microstructures, including cellulose and acrylic coatings, to enhance gas-liquid interface and improve wetting at low liquid loading rates, reducing air volume, packing depth, and air contactor footprint without compromising CO2 capture efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If cooling tower packing is used in DAC systems, then commercially available equipment and infrastructure can be utilized, but wetting performance deteriorates at low liquid flow rates leading to reduced CO2 uptake

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuse of commercially available equipmentVSAvoidwetting performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The packing material undergoes parameter changes through application of hydrophilic coatings (cellulose and acrylic) that alter surface properties to enhance wetting performance at low liquid flow rates, resolving the contradiction between using commercial equipment and achieving reliable wetting

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The packing combines multiple materials including hydrophilic coatings (cellulose and acrylic polymers) with the base packing structure to create a composite material that maintains commercial availability while improving wetting performance and CO2 capture efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Device complexity

If conventional packing is used, then device complexity is reduced, but gas-liquid interfacial area is insufficient reducing CO2 capture efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacking structure simplicityVSAvoidCO2 capture efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The packing utilizes porous material structures with controlled pore sizes and distributions to dramatically increase gas-liquid interfacial area without significantly increasing device complexity, thereby improving CO2 capture efficiency while maintaining structural simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The packing design incorporates three-dimensional macrostructures and microstructures that add spatial dimensionality to the gas-liquid contact interface, maximizing interfacial area within a compact structure and enhancing CO2 capture without proportionally increasing device complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Reliability

If liquid flow rate is increased to improve wetting, then CO2 uptake improves, but energy consumption and operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveCO2 uptakeVSAvoidenergy for liquid circulation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The hydrophilic coatings change the surface energy parameters of the packing material, enabling effective wetting and CO2 uptake at lower liquid flow rates, thus reducing energy consumption for liquid circulation while maintaining reliable CO2 capture performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The system achieves efficient CO2 capture by maximizing gas-liquid interfacial area, reducing material costs, and minimizing maintenance requirements, thereby enhancing reliability and reducing the size and number of air contactors needed for a given plant capacity.

Implementation Method 1

CO2 in the air reacts with the liquid sorbent

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAbsorption: Absorption (physical)

Implementation Method 2

maximizing gas-liquid interfacial area

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas-liquid mass transfer:

Implementation Method 3

enhance gas-liquid interface and improve wetting at low liquid loading rates

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectWetting: Wetting

Implementation Method 4

hydrophilic packing sheets

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHydrophilicity: Hydrophile

Implementation Method 5

at least one fan positioned to circulate a CO2 laden gas through the at least one packing section

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectForced convection: Forced Convection

Implementation Method 6

liquid distribution system configured to flow the CO2 capture solution onto the at least one packing section

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid distribution:

Data Source

PatentUS20250249395A1Capturing carbon dioxide

Publication Date: 2025.08.07 CARBON ENG ULC

AI summary

A system for removing CO2 from a dilute gas mixture includes a frame including a plurality of structural members; at least one packing section including one or more packing sheets, the one or more packing sheets including a plurality of macrostructures; one or more basins positioned at least partially below the at least one packing section, the one or more basins configured to hold a CO2 capture solution; at least one fan positioned to circulate a CO2 laden gas through the at least one packing section; and a liquid distribution system configured to flow the CO2 capture solution onto the at least one packing section.