Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Patents

Goal

Capture and permanently store carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion.

Problem

Atmospheric CO_2 buildup and greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants and industrial processes.

Concept Summary

A family of processes and apparatuses that capture CO_2 (and other gases) from flue streams, convert it into solid carbonates via mineral carbonation, plasma ionization, or chemical absorption, and store the solid product or compressed CO_2 underground. The technologies employ acid-base reactions, ionized water scrubbing, plasma arcs, and gas-separation membranes to achieve high-purity CO_2 capture and sequestration.

Principles

• Acid-base neutralization
• Mineral carbonation
• Plasma ionization
• Gas absorption and scrubbing
• Membrane gas separation
• Compression and condensation

Scientific Domains

Materials

• Magnesium-containing minerals (e.g., dolomite)
• Calcium silicate minerals
• Weak acids (e.g., dilute sulfuric acid)
• Bases (e.g., sodium hydroxide)
• Water
• Ionized water
• Catalysts for CO_2 conversion
• Gas diffusion membranes

Mechanisms of Action

• Dissolution of magnesium or calcium minerals in weak acid to form metal-rich solutions
• Addition of CO_2 and base to precipitate metal carbonates
• Ionization of flue gases in a plasma arc to produce elemental fragments
• Spray of ionized water in a tunnel to scrub toxic constituents
• Use of gas diffusion membranes to transfer CO_2 into a fluid medium
• Catalytic conversion of CO_2 to carbonic acid followed by carbonate precipitation

Energy Sources

Applications

• Power-plant emissions reduction
• Industrial gas cleaning
• Underground CO_2 storage
• Hydrogen production with CO_2 capture

Limitations

• High energy demand for heat, compression, and plasma generation
• Requirement for large quantities of suitable minerals
• Capital cost of retrofitting existing plants
• Potential scaling challenges for tunnel-based scrubbing systems

Keywords

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