Electric Calciner Plant for Decarbonized Oxide Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
The lime industry's calcination process produces significant CO2 emissions, and existing CO2 capture and storage technologies are costly and inefficient, making it challenging to decarbonize the industry without permanent storage solutions.
Innovation Solution
A plant and method that utilize an electric calciner, contactor, pH correction apparatus, and dosing device to calcinate carbonates, react CO2 with water to form bicarbonates, and store CO2 in a distributed manner, leveraging seawater to achieve efficient and cost-effective CO2 storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional calcination process is used to produce oxide from carbonate, then oxide production is achieved, but significant CO2 emissions are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures CO2 emissions from the calcination process and converts them into bicarbonates through reaction with water and additional CO2 in a contactor. This transforms the harmful CO2 emission into a useful chemical product (bicarbonate) that can be stored in seawater, thereby converting the waste product into a beneficial storage mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (carbonate) that facilitates CO2 storage. The carbonate reacts with CO2 and water to form bicarbonates, which then react with seawater to store CO2. This intermediary mechanism enables the transformation of CO2 emissions into stored carbon without directly emitting to the atmosphere.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If CO2 capture and storage technologies are implemented, then CO2 emissions are reduced, but the cost becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses seawater as a free, abundant resource to store CO2. The seawater naturally reacts with the bicarbonates formed in the contactor, eliminating the need for expensive artificial storage facilities. This self-service approach leverages the natural capacity of seawater to store carbon, significantly reducing infrastructure costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of CO2 storage by converting it from gaseous CO2 into dissolved bicarbonate ions in seawater. This parameter change from gas to dissolved species enables storage in a vast, low-cost medium (seawater) rather than requiring expensive geological formations or artificial containers.
3Quantity of substance
If existing CO2 storage methods are used, then some CO2 storage is achieved, but storage efficiency is limited and permanent storage is not guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts CO2 from the emission stream and separates it for storage in seawater. By taking out the CO2 and converting it to bicarbonates that are then stored in the vast ocean reservoir, the system achieves both high storage capacity and permanence, as the bicarbonate-seawater reaction creates stable, long-term storage.
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 method enables the production of decarbonized oxides and hydroxides at lower costs than existing technologies, with CO2 storage efficiencies reaching up to 100% and negative emissions generation, making it competitive with geological CCS and other market technologies.
Implementation Method 1
the electric calciner (10) is adapted to receive at the inlet a flow of carbonate (110), electric power (120) and to release at the outlet a flow of carbonic gas (140) at high temperature and at least one flow of oxide (130)
Implementation Method 2
the contactor (20) is adapted to receive at the inlet the flow of carbonic gas (140) released by the electric calciner (10), a flow of carbonate (220), a flow of water (210) and to make the carbonate (220) react with water (210) and the CO2 present in the carbonic gas (140)
Data Source
AI summary
A plant and a method for producing decarbonized oxide or hydroxide using carbonate, water and electric power. The plant includes an electric calciner, a contactor, a pH correction apparatus, and a dosing device. The plant is adapted to receive at the inlet electric power, carbonate and water, and to release at the outlet decarbonized oxide or hydroxide and a buffered ionic mixture rich in bicarbonates, which, once released into the sea, represents the permanent storage for CO2. The plant uses the bicarbonates as permanent CO2 storage in the sea: this storage allows a CO2 storage at low costs and in modular plants.