Pilot Plant at the University of Texas

The University of Texas at Austin investigated an improved process for CO₂ capture by alkanolamine absorption that uses an alternative solvent, aqueous potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) promoted by piperazine (PZ). If successful, this process would use less energy for CO₂ capture than the conventional monoethanolamine (MEA) scrubbing process. An improved capture system would mean a relative improvement in overall power plant efficiency.

The project developed models to predict the performance of absorption/stripping of CO₂ using the improved solvent and perform a pilot plant study to validate the process models and define the range of feasible process operations. See photograph of the pilot plant located at the University of Texas. As part of the pilot plant study, a test with MEA was conducted as a baseline to compare CO₂ absorption and stripping performance with tests using the K₂CO₃/PZ solvent. Researchers also investigated key issues such as solvent degradation, solvent reclamation, corrosion, and alternative stripper configurations.