Step Change Adsorbents and Processes for CO2 Capture.

能源供应和输送的安全性和可持续性是重大的全球挑战。需要新材料、工程解决方案和技术创新，以帮助应对减贫、快速经济发展和气候变化等相互竞争的挑战。未来30年，世界能源将继续增长。化石燃料将主导全球能源生产，最终导致二氧化碳排放量增加。在开发出新的先进能源生产技术之前，需要碳捕获和储存技术。这将使化石燃料在燃烧时不会向大气中排放二氧化碳。碳捕获和储存涉及从大量气体来源（如燃烧化石燃料的发电站）中去除CO2，用于地下储存，例如在枯竭的石油陷阱中。为了从传统燃煤发电厂的烟气中捕获或分离CO2，目前选择的技术是使用称为胺的化合物溶液。然而，众所周知的是，这种技术最终可以减少高达90%的CO2排放，是能源密集型的，并导致工厂效率的急剧下降，并最终导致电力成本的增加。该研究项目涉及开发一种这样的技术。吸附剂，多孔固体，可以选择性地“吸收”CO2，有可能显着减少能源损失，30 - 50%，并随后的CO2捕获成本。然而，实现这一潜力需要两个发展：新的阶跃变化多孔材料和相关的工厂集成过程。就第一种而言，微孔材料，含有“纳米级”孔和腔，其壁负载有碱性基团（例如，胺）可以增加捕获的CO2的量。第二，需要用于处理和循环吸附剂材料的方法，使其成为可以整合到捕获设备中的有效方法。这项研究计划将大大加快吸附剂技术的发展步伐，使之成为燃烧后捕集化学吸收的一种可行的替代方法。为了实现这一目标，伯明翰大学、利物浦大学、诺丁汉大学和伦敦大学学院的学者组成了一个跨学科的联合会。这是第一次汇集了英国领先的研究二氧化碳捕获吸附剂的团体。该集团提供化学和化学工程专业知识的组合，从新型材料的制造和表征，到测试和放大。将开展一项广泛的计划，开发新型微孔聚合物、水滑石和碳基多孔材料。已经为这些材料设定了目标，以实现与当前技术相比二氧化碳捕获效率的阶跃变化改进。这些新型材料捕获二氧化碳的性能和能力将在实验室中进行测量，并使用专门建造的设备模拟发电站烟气的条件和组成。将设计再生技术以去除CO2并允许吸附剂材料的循环操作和测量吸附剂的寿命。该项目的最终目标是在真实的发电厂环境中展示吸附材料-因此，我们将专注于该项目的发展，以淘汰那些不符合一个或多个实用标准的材料。该项目将造福社会，以及对二氧化碳捕集技术潜力感兴趣的能源生产公司和政府机构。通过将学术和科学专家以及工业界聚集在一起的财团活动，我们将在吸附剂技术方面创造一个台阶式的变化，作为该计划的关键产出。

Security and sustainability of energy supply and delivery are major global challenges. New materials, engineering solutions and technological innovations are required to help meet competing challenges of poverty reduction, rapid economic development and climate change. The worlds for energy will continue to increase over the next 30 years. Fossil fuels will dominate global energy production, ultimately leading to increased CO2 emissions. Until new, advanced technologies are developed for energy production, carbon capture and storage technologies are required. These will allow fossil fuels to be burned without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon capture and storage involves the removal of CO2 from large sources of the gas, such as fossil fuel burning power stations, for underground storage, for example in depleted oil traps. To capture or separate CO2 from the flue gas of traditional coal-fired powerplant the current technology of choice is to use solutions of chemical compounds called amines. However, it is known that this technology, which could ultimately cut CO2 emissions by up to 90%, is energy intensive and leads to a sharp decrease in plant efficiency and ultimately an increase in the cost of electricity.To overcome the problems associated with current capture technologies, advanced CO2 capture technologies are required. This research project involves the development one such technology. Adsorbents, porous solids that can selectively 'soak up' CO2, have the potential to significantly reduce the energy penalty, by 30 -50%, and subsequent cost of CO2 capture. However, two developments are required to realise this potential: novel step change porous materials and associated plant integration processes. In terms of the first, microporous materials, containing 'nanosized' holes and cavities, the walls of which are loaded with basic groups (e.g., amines) can increase the amount of CO2 that is captured. Secondly, processes for handling and cycling the adsorbent materials into an efficient process that can be integrated into a capture plant are required. This programme of research will greatly accelerate the pace of development of adsorbent technology as a viable alternative to chemical absorption in post-combustion capture.To achieve this aim, an interdisciplinary consortium of academics from Universities of Birmingham, Liverpool and Nottingham and University College London has been formed. This brings together, for the first time, leading UK groups conducting research on adsorbents for CO2 capture. The group provides a mix of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering expertise, ranging from manufacture and characterisation of novel materials, through to testing and scale-up. An extensive programme to develop novel microporous polymer, hydrotalcite and carbon-based porous materials will be undertaken. Targets have been set for these materials required to achieve step change improvements in CO2 capture efficiency compared to current technologies. The properties and ability of these novel materials to capture CO2 will be measured in the laboratory and using specially built equipment to simulate the conditions and make up of power station flue gases. Techniques for regeneration will be devised to remove CO2 and allow for cyclic operation of the adsorbent materials and measure the lifetime of the adsorbents. The ultimate goal of the project is to demonstrate the adsorbent materials in real power plant environments - as such, we will focus the programme as it develops to knock out materials which fail on one or more of the practical criteria.The project will benefit society as well as energy producing companies and government bodies interested in the potential of CO2 capture techniques. Through consortiums activities which bring together academic and scientific experts, and industry we will create a step-change in adsorbent technology as the key output of this programme.