Textured Substrate Liquid Sorbent for CO2 Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current CO2 capture methods from atmospheric air are inefficient due to slow diffusion of CO2 into liquid sorbents, low air-sorbent contact areas, high energy requirements, and corrosion issues, leading to large hardware and energy losses.
Innovation Solution
The use of omniphobic and omniphilic surfaces with textured substrates and liquid sorbents in a Cassie-Baxter or Wenzel state to create microchannels for enhanced CO2 capture, reducing CAPEX and energy requirements, and enabling sorbent regeneration for purification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If chemical absorption methods are used for CO2 capture, then CO2 removal is achieved, but the diffusion of CO2 into liquid sorbents is slow and contact area is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from bulk liquid absorption to surface-based absorption by coating liquid sorbent on porous substrates with high surface area to volume ratio. This dimensional change from 3D bulk diffusion to 2D surface contact dramatically increases the effective contact area between CO2 and sorbent, accelerating capture rate without proportionally increasing system size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs porous substrates (such as foam structures, fibrous materials, or structured packings) as the support medium for the liquid sorbent. The porous structure provides extensive internal surface area within a compact volume, enabling high CO2-sorbent contact area while maintaining small diffusion paths, thus resolving the contradiction between capture productivity and diffusion time.
2Productivity
If larger hardware is used to increase air-sorbent contact area, then CO2 capture efficiency improves, but CAPEX and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By coating liquid sorbent on porous substrates with high surface area to volume ratio, the patent achieves large effective contact area within a compact physical footprint. This dimensional transformation allows high CO2 capture efficiency without proportionally increasing hardware size, directly addressing the contradiction between productivity and volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous substrate structure provides extensive internal surface area within a small external volume. The liquid sorbent distributed within the porous matrix creates numerous contact sites for CO2 absorption, enabling high capture efficiency in a compact configuration that reduces both CAPEX and space requirements.
3Quantity of substance
If more liquid sorbent is used to enhance CO2 absorption, then capture capacity increases, but energy requirements for sorbent regeneration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies liquid sorbent locally on porous substrate surfaces rather than using bulk liquid. This localized application maintains sufficient CO2 absorption capacity while reducing the total volume of sorbent that requires regeneration, thereby lowering the energy demand for the regeneration process.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous substrate structure allows efficient mass transfer with minimal sorbent volume. The high surface area to volume ratio enables adequate CO2 capture capacity using smaller amounts of liquid sorbent, which directly reduces the energy required for regeneration while maintaining capture effectiveness.
4Productivity
If conventional liquid sorbent systems are used, then CO2 absorption occurs, but corrosion and safety issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The porous substrate acts as a physical support structure that contains the liquid sorbent in a controlled manner. This structured containment reduces uncontrolled splashing, aerosol generation, and exposure risks, thereby improving safety while maintaining absorption performance. The substrate also provides structural integrity that resists corrosion.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines liquid sorbent with porous substrate material to create a composite absorption medium. The substrate material can be selected for corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, while the liquid sorbent provides the chemical absorption function. This composite approach separates the structural requirements from the chemical function, allowing optimization of both aspects.
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 approach significantly enhances CO2 capture efficiency by increasing fluid-sorbent surface area, reducing hardware size and energy consumption, and minimizing corrosion, while allowing for compact and cost-effective CO2 capture systems.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid sorbent contacts the textured omniphobic surface in a Cassie-Baxter state to form a plurality of microchannels positioned between the first substrate surface and the liquid sorbent
Implementation Method 2
the liquid sorbent contacts the textured omniphilic surface in a Wenzel state
Implementation Method 3
The liquid sorbent is configured to reversibly capture at least one chemical species from the first liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A carbon-capture device and related processes are disclosed. The devices include substrate surfaces having a textured surfaces and a liquid sorbent contacting the texture surface in either a Cassie-Baxter state, in the case of a texture omniphobic surface or a plurality of re-entrant features or a Wenzel state, in the case of a textured omniphilic surface. The liquid sorbent reversibly captures a chemical species, which can usefully be carbon dioxide. This reversible capture can be exploited to capture and sequester carbon or other chemical species of interest.