Combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for about 85% of the world’s energy supply. It isalso the most significant source of carbon dioxide (CO_2) emissions worldwide. Due toconcern about the effect of CO_2 emissions on global climate, as well as the world’s greatdependence on fossil fuels, it is becoming increasingly important to develop economicallyfeasible technology to capture and sequester CO_2 from fossil fuel burning power plants. Oneof the highest priorities in carbon sequestration science is the development of techniques forCO_2 separation and capture, since it is expected to account for the majority of the total cost(～75%). The most common currently used method for CO_2 separation is reversible chemicalabsorption using monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent. A problem with this technique isassociated with the degradation of the MEA by processes that are not completely understood.This degradation leads to increases in material costs, waste disposal costs, and energydemands for the CO_2 capture process. In order to limit or eliminate MEA degradation, it isimportant to first understand the chemical reactions involved in the process. With this goal inmind, samples were obtained from the IMC Chemicals Facility in Trona, California, a plantthat has been performing CO_2 capture from flue gas since 1978. These samples, whichconsist of MEA taken from various stages of the CO_2 capture process, were analyzed toidentify the products of solvent degradation. The results of these analyses as well as adiscussion of the possible mechanisms leading to MEA degradation are presented.
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