Porous Ceramic Structure for CO2 Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current carbon capture technologies, such as amine gas treatment and polymer membranes, face challenges including high energy consumption, equipment corrosion, and limited CO2 permeance, especially at temperatures relevant for fossil fuel power plant emissions, making them inefficient and costly for large-scale carbon dioxide separation.
Innovation Solution
Development of a porous ceramic material with tunable porosity and chemical stability to support molten hydroxides or carbonate salts, allowing for efficient CO2 separation at temperatures between 300°C to 650°C, utilizing a method involving metal oxide nanoparticles and polymers to create a three-dimensional ceramic structure with open cells that retain molten phases and facilitate CO2 transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional sacrificial porogen methods are used to produce porous ceramic, then pore size and density can be controlled, but the manufacturing cost becomes prohibitive and throughput is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a porous polymer bead template (porogen) that is burned out during sintering to create controlled porosity in the ceramic structure. This approach maintains precise pore size and density control while enabling continuous manufacturing processes that improve throughput and reduce costs compared to conventional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls pore characteristics by adjusting parameters such as porogen bead size, ceramic-to-porogen ratio, and sintering temperature. By varying these parameters, the method achieves tunable pore size and density while maintaining manufacturing efficiency and scalability.
2Reliability
If amine gas treatment is used for carbon capture, then CO2 separation can be achieved, but energy consumption becomes extremely high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dual-phase membrane system consisting of a porous ceramic phase and a liquid electrolyte phase. CO2 transport occurs through phase boundary reactions rather than requiring thermal regeneration, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining reliable CO2 separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal regeneration mechanism of amine systems with a membrane-based selective transport mechanism driven by concentration gradients and electrochemical reactions, eliminating the need for high-temperature heating and reducing energy consumption.
3Reliability
If amine gas treatment is used for carbon capture, then CO2 separation can be achieved, but equipment corrosion rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite dual-phase membrane structure combining inert porous ceramic material with a liquid electrolyte. The ceramic phase provides mechanical strength and chemical inertness, preventing corrosion while the liquid phase enables CO2 separation, thus maintaining reliability without equipment degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous ceramic phase acts as an intermediary support structure that protects the liquid electrolyte phase from direct contact with corrosive flue gas components. This intermediate barrier prevents corrosion while allowing the liquid phase to perform CO2 separation functions.
4Productivity
If polymer membranes are used for CO2 separation, then membrane separation can be implemented, but CO2 permeance is limited especially at high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from polymer-based membranes to a ceramic-liquid dual-phase system that operates effectively at elevated temperatures (300-650°C). This parameter change in operating temperature enables high CO2 permeance by utilizing electrochemical reaction mechanisms that are temperature-resistant unlike polymer diffusion mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a porous ceramic support structure with controlled pore size and distribution that maintains structural integrity at high temperatures while providing sufficient pathways for ion and molecule transport, thereby achieving high CO2 permeance in the elevated temperature range where polymer membranes fail.
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 porous ceramic structure enables efficient CO2 separation with reduced energy consumption and infrastructure costs, achieving higher CO2 permeance and stability over extended periods, thus addressing the inefficiencies of existing carbon capture methods.
Implementation Method 1
dual phase membranes consist of a liquid phase supported by a porous solid phase in which the liquid is held in the pores by capillary force
Implementation Method 2
polymer membranes separate flue gas constituents based on the difference in their diffusion rates
Data Source
AI summary
In one inventive concept, a product includes a three dimensional ceramic structure having an open cell structure with a plurality of pores, wherein the pores connect through the ceramic structure from one side of the ceramic structure to an opposite side of the ceramic structure.