Extruded Sorbent Elements for Dense, Low-Resistance CO₂ Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sorbent materials for carbon dioxide capture from ambient air are sensitive to moisture, leading to reduced absorption capacity and increased energy consumption, and current sorbent designs result in inefficient processes with high system costs and energy losses.
Innovation Solution
A method for producing sorbent elements by extruding a mixture of sorbent material, binder, and optional additives, which includes pretreatment and controlled extrusion to achieve specific geometric dimensions, allowing for targeted arrangement and optimized heating, thereby enhancing adsorption and desorption efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If sorbent materials are used in granular or pellet form as loose material, then the sorbent can be easily filled into process chambers, but the packing density is low and flow resistance is high, reducing process efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The sorbent material is segmented into modular elements with specific geometric shapes (cylinders, spheres, or polyhedra) that can be efficiently packed. Each element contains multiple sorbent-containing cavities, creating a structured arrangement that improves packing density while maintaining ease of handling and filling into process chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sorbent-containing cavities are nested within a single geometric element structure. This nesting approach allows maximum utilization of space within each element, improving packing density without increasing the external volume that needs to be handled and filled into the process chamber.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional sorbent materials with poor thermal conductivity are used, then the sorbent capacity for carbon dioxide is maintained, but the heating and cooling phases require high energy input, increasing process costs
Solution Approach 1:
The geometric elements are constructed as composite structures combining sorbent-containing cavities with thermally conductive material. This composite design allows the sorbent material to maintain its high carbon dioxide capacity while the thermally conductive material provides efficient heat transfer pathways, reducing the energy input required for heating and cooling phases.
3Productivity
If sorbent elements are produced with geometric dimensions of at least 500 mm in spatial direction, then the packing density is improved and flow resistance is reduced, but the extrusion process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The geometric elements are designed with a porous or cavitated internal structure containing multiple sorbent-containing cavities. This porous design allows the elements to achieve the required geometric dimensions (at least 500 mm) while maintaining appropriate mass-to-volume ratios, improving packing density without requiring excessively complex extrusion tooling for solid monolithic structures.
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 produces sorbent elements with improved packing density, reduced flow resistance, and energy efficiency, enabling controlled heating and optimized process control, thus enhancing the carbon dioxide capture process while minimizing energy losses.
Implementation Method 1
a sorbent material for absorbing a sorbent from the fluid phase
Implementation Method 2
the pretreated mixture is extruded by pressing it out of a shaping opening of a mold and molding the extruded mixture into an extrudate
Data Source
Figure 1~2b
Figure 3a~3c
Figure 3d~4a
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a sorbent element (7) for separating a gas and/or atmospheric moisture from a fluid phase. The method comprises providing (S100) a sorbent material for absorbing a sorbent from the fluid phase and producing (S200) a mixture by adding the sorbent material and a binder material and/or an additive material. Furthermore, the mixture of the sorbent material and the binder material and/or the additive material is pretreated (S300) by means of a mixer (12), wherein the mixture is mixed and homogenized during the pretreatment (S300). Subsequently, the pretreated mixture is extruded (S400) by pressing it out of a shaping opening of a molding tool (15) and molding (S400) the extruded mixture into an extrudate, wherein the extrudate has a geometric extension in a spatial direction of at least 500 mm.The extrudate is subsequently picked up by a receiving device, and the extrudate is cured. The invention further relates to a sorbent element (7) produced by such a method, a sorbent unit (70) comprising a plurality of such sorbent elements (7), and a system for separating a gas and/or atmospheric moisture from a fluid phase, comprising such a sorbent element (7) and/or such a sorbent unit (70).