BEYOND THE BIG PICTURE: CHARACTERIZATION OF CO_2-LADEN STREAMS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CAPTURE TECHNOLOGIES

摘要

Comprehensive carbon management will require capture and use or storage of carbon dioxide (CO_2) from a diversity of stack emissions and intermediate chemical process streams. While there has been a lot of attention paid to estimating the total amount of carbon dioxide available for capture, less is known about other constituents in CO_2-laden streams that could directly affect the choice and performance of capture technology, and hence cost of capture. The physical characteristics of these CO_2-laden streams, such as temperature and pressure, also affect the choice of capture technology. In this paper, detailed compositions of power plant emissions as well as industrial CO_2-laden emissions, such as from cement plants, iron and steel plants, and refineries, are presented. Industrial emissions may well provide early opportunities for implementation of CO_2 capture technologies, due to higher concentrations of CO_2 in flue gas and process streams. In addition, industrial emissions may offer lower-cost CO_2 for storage, alternative uses such as enhanced oil recovery, or as a high-purity chemical feedstock. This paper also discusses some well-known capture technologies available today or under development, and describes their applicability and limitations for different CO_2 capture opportunities.