Carbon America FrostCC Process
Carbon America is developing the FrostCC cryogenic process to remove CO₂ from industrial flue gases. The process is designed to compress and expand the flue gas stream with recuperative heat integration, frosting the CO₂ and other pollutants out of the emitted gas. The project is being demonstrated at pilot-scale over several test campaigns at the National Carbon Capture Center.
Cormetech Monolithic Sorbent Module
With DOE funding, Cormetech is pursuing a technology for point-source CO2 capture. The process uses a monolithic amine contactor for CO2 capture followed by steam-mediated thermal desorption and CO2 collection. Key to enhancing scalability to large natural gas combined-cycle power plants is the focus on lower-cost scaling approaches. Cormetech will demonstrate the technology at bench-scale using the National Carbon Capture Center’s natural gas testing system.
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Water-lean Solvent
In collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and RTI, EPRI is working to test a water-lean solvent expected to operate with lower energy requirements and better resistance to degradation than current benchmark solvents. With DOE funding, testing at the National Carbon Capture Center’s PSTU will test the solvent with both natural gas-derived and coal-derived flue gas to support further scale-up.
GTI Energy Graphene Oxide-based Membrane
In a DOE-sponsored project, GTI Energy and team members are demonstrating a graphene oxide-based membrane process, called GO2. This technology integrates high-selectivity and high-flux membranes in a two-stage configuration for optimal performance. Testing is utilizing the National Carbon Capture Center’s Lab-scale Test Unit (LSTU).
GTI Energy Membrane Contactor
GTI Energy’s hollow fiber membrane contactor technology combines features of both absorption and membrane processes to provide a cost-effective solution for CO2 capture from flue gases. After bench-scale testing at another location, GTI is advancing the technology with a DOE-sponsored, pilot-scale, 0.5-megawatt process installed at the National Carbon Capture Center. The project team includes GTI, Air Liquide Advanced Separations and Trimeric Corporation.
GTI Energy ROTA-CAP™ Solvent Process
GTI Energy’s DOE-sponsored project features the ROTA-CAP™ process that uses rotating packed bed gas-liquid contacting devices to replace conventional packed bed columns for CO₂ absorption and regeneration, a process designed to provide a significant reduction in equipment footprint. The process developed by GTI and Carbon Clean also uses an advanced solvent from Carbon Clean that was previously tested at the National Carbon Capture Center’s Pilot Solvent Test Unit (PSTU); the next phase is occurring in a ROTA-CAP™ skid installed in the center’s bench-scale area.
Membrane Technology & Research (MTR) Bench-scale Membrane
MTR, in partnership with the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, is performing bench-scale testing of composite membranes expected to reduce the cost of CO2 capture. In previous projects at the National Carbon Capture Center, MTR developed the high-performance Polaris™ membrane, advanced low-pressure-drop modules and a patented selective recycle membrane design. The current project utilizes novel isoporous supports that have high surface porosity and enhanced membrane permeance.
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Membrane Materials
NETL aims to reduce the cost of post-combustion CO2 capture by creating transformational membrane materials that are highly permeable and selective for CO2. NETL developed an automated bench-scale test skid at the National Carbon Capture Center to support the evaluation of novel materials at Technology Readiness Level 3 or 4. The skid can house flat sheet or hollow fiber membrane materials, and the small area required makes it uniquely accessible for developing materials.
Ohio State University Bench-scale Membrane
In partnership with DOE and American Electric Power, OSU has been advancing a cost-effective design and manufacturing process for a novel transformational membrane for CO2 separation from flue gas. The membrane consists of a thin amine-containing selective layer supported by a porous polymer substrate that can be made in a continuous manufacturing process. OSU’s testing at the National Carbon Capture Center is being used to incorporate design improvements at bench scale.
Precision Combustion Inc. (PCI) Microlith® Sorbent
PCI is developing a modular post-combustion CO2 capture system utilizing metal-organic framework nanosorbents supported on a Microlith® mesh substrate. The system design enables low pressure drop, high volumetric utilization and high mass transfer and is suitable for rapid heat transfer and low-temperature regeneration operating modes. PCI operates their sorbent test skid at the National Carbon Capture Center’s LSTU.
SUNY Buffalo Bench-scale Sorbent
This future project will demonstrate a sorbent having a molecular layer coating that is tailor-made to be size-sieving. The process will use pressure swing adsorption for CO2 capture. The project team includes RPI/SUNY Buffalo, GTI Energy, Trimeric Corporation and the University of South Carolina.
SUNY Buffalo Bench-scale Membrane
SUNY Buffalo, along with a team that includes RPI, MTR, Caltech and Trimeric Corporation, is developing novel metal-organic, polyhedral-based membranes with high permeance and selectivity and with ease of manufacturing. These membranes will demonstrate their performance at NCCC in the LSTU in the future.
Susteon Ionic Liquid Catalyst
Susteon, in partnership with the University of Wyoming, is developing a novel ionic liquid that has the potential to increase CO2 absorption and desorption rates by several orders of magnitude in amine solvents. The catalytic effect of the liquid has been tested at lab-scale and bench-scale as an additive in monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent, resulting in a significant increase in the CO2 absorption rate of the MEA solvent and order-of-magnitude increase in the desorption rate at temperatures as low as 85°C. In collaboration with DOE, Susteon is demonstrating this ionic liquid catalyst with MEA using the National Carbon Capture Center’s PSTU at 0.5-MW scale.
University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) PZASTM Process
UT-Austin is continuing development of the PZAS process, a solvent-based technology that uses aqueous piperazine with an advanced flash stripper. UT-Austin has completed two successful test campaigns of PZAS at the National Carbon Capture Center. An upcoming campaign, which is being supported by DOE, EU LAUNCH and private companies, will use natural gas flue gas to study solvent oxidation.