Liquid Degassing for Scalable Low-Energy CO2 Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for capturing carbon dioxide from atmospheric air require vast amounts of energy and infrastructure, making them costly and not commercially viable for achieving the necessary scale of CO2 removal to mitigate global temperature increase.
Innovation Solution
A method involving degassing an input liquid containing carbon dioxide to produce an output gas with a high concentration of CO2, which can be captured, using techniques such as bubbling a high-concentration CO2 gas through the liquid and adjusting pressure to enhance CO2 transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional CO2 removal methods (membrane permeation, adsorbent materials, cryogenic separation, gas scrubbing) are applied to atmospheric air, then CO2 can be removed from the atmosphere, but the energy consumption and infrastructure requirements become excessively high due to the low concentration of CO2 (420 ppm) in air
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (liquid such as water or brine) that naturally absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere through equilibrium processes. This liquid intermediary concentrates CO2 from the low-concentration atmospheric air into a higher-concentration liquid phase, which can then be processed more efficiently. The liquid acts as a mediator that bridges the low-concentration air stream and the high-concentration CO2 capture requirement, avoiding direct energy-intensive processing of atmospheric air.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes natural equilibrium processes where liquid naturally absorbs CO2 from air without requiring external energy input for the absorption step. The liquid can be circulated and allowed to equilibrate with air, passively concentrating CO2 through thermodynamic equilibrium. This self-service approach eliminates the need for energy-intensive compression, heating, or chemical reactions that would otherwise be required to concentrate CO2 from atmospheric air.
2Productivity
If conventional CO2 removal technologies are scaled up to achieve gigatons per annum removal, then the temperature change can be restricted to 1.5°C or below, but the infrastructure costs and environmental impact become prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the CO2 removal process into separate functional stages: (1) natural absorption in liquid media, (2) concentration through equilibrium processes, and (3) capture from the concentrated stream. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, with the liquid absorption stage handling the bulk of CO2 uptake using simple, scalable infrastructure, while the capture stage processes only the concentrated CO2, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the concentration parameter of CO2 by transferring it from the gas phase (420 ppm in air) to the liquid phase where it reaches much higher concentrations through equilibrium. This parameter change transforms an intractable low-concentration separation problem into a manageable high-concentration capture problem, enabling scalable deployment with simpler infrastructure.
3Quantity of substance
If vast quantities of air are treated to remove small amounts of CO2, then atmospheric CO2 levels can be reduced, but the cost becomes extremely expensive and not commercially viable
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid intermediary (water, brine, or other suitable liquids) serves as a cost-effective mediator that naturally concentrates CO2 from air through equilibrium processes. This eliminates the need for expensive energy-intensive processes like high-pressure compression, cryogenic cooling, or chemical reactions that would otherwise be required to concentrate CO2 from atmospheric levels. The liquid can be circulated and regenerated with minimal energy input, making the overall process commercially viable.
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 produces a concentrated CO2 output gas suitable for capture, reducing the need for extensive treatment and infrastructure, and is scalable for significant CO2 removal.
Implementation Method 1
contacting the input liquid with an input gas, and thereby causing carbon dioxide to be transferred from the input liquid to the input gas to produce an output gas
Implementation Method 2
a pressure reduction system, wherein the pressure reduction system is configured to reduce the pressure in the input liquid and/or the degassing chamber
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a method of capturing carbon dioxide. The method comprises providing an input liquid. The input liquid comprises carbon dioxide, and/or a precursor thereof, dissolved therein. The method further comprises degassing the input liquid to obtain an output gas comprising carbon dioxide; and capturing the output gas and/or carbon dioxide present in the output gas. The disclosure also provides an apparatus which may be used to conduct the above method.