Direct Air Capture Sorbent Liquid Phase Desorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas capture technologies face challenges such as operational difficulties with vacuum systems, inefficient heat transfer, and high energy costs in liquid-based desorption protocols, making them unsuitable for large-scale production.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid approach combining gas phase adsorption and liquid phase desorption, where a sorbent material is used to capture gas molecules in a gas phase and then transferred to a liquid phase for desorption, allowing for efficient gas release and regeneration of the sorbent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vacuum is applied to the chamber during heating to promote desorption, then the adsorbate can be released from the adsorbent, but operational difficulties arise in constructing and maintaining vacuum systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vacuum requirement from the desorption process by conducting desorption in a liquid environment instead of a vacuum chamber. The liquid phase naturally suppresses gas-phase adsorbate and facilitates desorption without requiring complex vacuum systems, thereby eliminating the contradiction between desorption efficiency and device complexity.
2Productivity
If vacuum is applied during heating, then adsorbate release is promoted, but heat transfer becomes difficult and heating efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a liquid environment as an intermediary medium that facilitates both heat transfer and adsorbate release. The liquid serves as a heat transfer medium with high thermal conductivity, enabling efficient heating of the adsorbent while simultaneously acting as a suppressant for gas-phase adsorbate, thus resolving the contradiction between adsorbate release rate and heating efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If water-based desorption is used, then desorption can occur without vacuum systems, but high energy cost is required to heat and cool the water
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters by conducting desorption at elevated temperatures without requiring water cooling cycles. The process uses thermal energy to drive both desorption and subsequent condensation of the adsorbate, eliminating the need for energy-intensive cooling steps while maintaining operational simplicity.
4Ease of operation
If traditional gas phase desorption is used, then operational simplicity is maintained, but contamination of the adsorbate occurs during desorption
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid environment acts as an intermediary that suppresses gas-phase adsorbate molecules during desorption, preventing their escape and contamination of the system. The adsorbate remains dissolved or suspended in the liquid phase, maintaining high purity while allowing for simple operational procedures without vacuum systems.
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
This method enables efficient direct air capture of gases like CO2, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods by reducing energy costs and operational complexities, making it viable for large-scale production.
Implementation Method 1
chemically reacting gas molecules with the sorbent material
Implementation Method 2
applying heat energy to the sorbent material and then cooling the sorbent material
Implementation Method 3
transferred the sorbent material into a liquid phase environment
Data Source
AI summary
Direct air capture of a gas followed by liquid phase desorption includes contacting a sorbent material with a gas and chemically reacting gas molecules with the sorbent material. The chemical reaction is reversed in a liquid phase environment so as to release gas molecules and regenerate the sorbent while the sorbent material remains in the liquid phase environment. Finally, the desorbed gas molecules are captured for sequestration.