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This University of Notre Dame, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), will test the use of hybrid encapsulated ionic liquid (IL) and/or phase change ionic liquid (PCIL) materials for post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. Promising ILs and/or PCILs have proved to be prohibitively viscous for large scale commercial operation when configured in conventional absorption/regeneration systems. Encapsulated ILs and PCILs have high surface areas, allowing researchers to break through the mass transfer barriers caused by high viscosities. The team will combine the advantages of two recently proven technologies—Notre Dame’s IL and PCIL materials with high capacity and low regeneration energy, and LLNL’s microencapsulation in polymer shells—to make and test high surface area materials specifically engineered for high-efficiency CO2 capture from post-combustion flue gas. The expected outcome of this project will be successful synthesis of the microencapsulated ILs and/or PCILs and validated CO2 removal from simulated flue gas in a laboratory-scale unit with dramatically improved mass transfer.

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Schematic of encapsulated CO2 capture process using aqueous carbonate absorbents
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Principal Investigator
Joan Brennecke
jfb@nd.edu
Project Benefits

The encapsulation of ILs and PCILs in micrometer sized shells is projected to increase the mass transfer area by an order of magnitude or more, dramatically reducing the capital costs of the absorber and regenerator in CO2 capture systems. Successful development of microencapsulated ILs and/or PCILs will provide a clear pathway toward achieving DOE’s goal of 90 percent CO2 capture with 95 percent CO2 purity at a cost of electricity 30 percent less than baseline aqueous amine technologies.

Project ID
FE0026465
Website
University of Notre Dame
http://www.nd.edu/