Stability and regenerability of acivated carbon used for CO2 removal in pilot DR-VPSA unit in real power plant conditions

摘要

The world's first results of stability and regenerability of activated carbon under flue gas conditions using DR-VPSA (Dual-Reflux Vacuum-Pressure Swing Adsorption) method have been presented. Such assessment is necessary in the light of practical applications of adsorbents in numerous adsorption-desorption cycles in a largescale DR-VPSA adsorption unit. This is due to the fact that the useful life of an adsorbent has an effect of its costs and, as a consequence, the viability of the adsorption plant and its advantage over the absorption method of CO2 capture using amine solutions. The assessment of the stability and regenerability of adsorbents was based on the analysis of activated carbon derived from a pilot DR-VPSA unit operating on real combustion gas for a period of 808 h. The pilot plant was set up under the Strategic Project in Tauron Wytwarzanie S.A.-The Lagisza Power Plant in Poland. The stability of activated carbon was determined by performing the full analysis of the physicochemical properties on a samples taken from the adsorption column after many working cycles in the DR-VPSA plant under real flue gas conditions. The regenerability of activated carbon was verified by assessing their sorption capacity prior to, and after prolonged use in numerous adsorption-desorption cycles in the DR-VPSA plant. The obtained information provide new knowledge of the CO2 adsorption behaviour of the activated carbon in response to flue gas exposure in pilot DR-VPSA adsorption units.