Geocatalysts for Low-Cost CO2 Capture and Mineral Products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing CO2 capture and storage technologies are expensive and do not effectively produce valuable products, while methods for permanent mineralization of CO2 are needed to address global warming and ocean acidification.
Innovation Solution
A process using geocatalysts to control the reaction of CO2-containing gas streams with starting materials like waste building materials, rocks, and organic compounds, producing carbonate minerals and colloidal silica or alumina, which can be used in construction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If CO2 is injected into geological formations for storage, then CO2 capture and storage is achieved, but the process is expensive and yields no valuable product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful CO2 gas into beneficial carbonate minerals through chemical reaction with silicate starting materials. This transforms a waste product into valuable construction materials, simultaneously achieving CO2 storage and economic benefit, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliable CO2 capture and economic cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of CO2 by reacting it with silicate materials under controlled conditions (temperature, pH, catalyst presence) to transform CO2 from a gas into solid carbonate minerals. This parameter transformation enables both effective CO2 capture and production of valuable products, addressing the economic cost issue.
2Reliability
If CO2 is injected into geological formations for storage, then CO2 capture is achieved, but no valuable product is produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms CO2 from a harmful gas into beneficial carbonate minerals that can be used as construction materials. This conversion process simultaneously achieves reliable CO2 capture and produces valuable products, eliminating the trade-off between capture reliability and product yield.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional system where the same CO2 injection process serves dual purposes: carbonation storage and production of valuable carbonate minerals and colloidal silica. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the process both reliable for CO2 capture and productive for valuable product generation.
3Productivity
If geocatalysts are used to speed up CO2 mineralization reaction, then reaction rate increases, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs geocatalysts that are naturally occurring or easily obtainable materials (such as clays, zeolites, or other mineral catalysts) rather than complex synthetic catalysts. These self-service catalysts accelerate the CO2 mineralization reaction without requiring complex process control systems, thereby increasing reaction rate while minimizing the increase in process complexity.
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 process achieves fast, permanent CO2 capture and produces valuable products, such as carbonate minerals and colloidal silica, at a low economical cost, suitable for the construction industry.
Implementation Method 1
geocatalysts and their application to control natural CO2 capture processes
Implementation Method 2
permanent mineralisation of CO2
Implementation Method 3
when the organic molecule is an organic acid, the pH of the process is maintained at or higher than at least one of the pKas of the organic compound
Data Source
AI summary
The application of geocatalysts in controlling CO2 capture processes in situ as well as in a reaction vessel, chamber or tower is described. More specifically, a process for controlling the reaction of a CO2-containing gas stream with one or more starting materials selected from waste building material, mineral, rock, sand, amorphous material or combinations thereof is disclosed: wherein said starting material comprises Si and/or Al, and one or more divalent cation(s), water, and one or more organic compound(s) to control the reaction: thereby providing a product comprising: at least one carbonate mineral and preferably colloidal silica.