I am learning, I likely suffer from Dunning-Kruger effect, but I believe chemical engineers, organic metallic chemists, and chemists will find a combination of properties that will allow Direct Air Capture (DAC) at a much cheaper price.
Although solvent applications capture more CO2 than sorbents, the regeneration energy for pure CO2 stream is much higher. Sorbents can work at lower temperatures. So, I think the future is sorbents for CO2 capture.
Since the bed is a fixed-bed reactor with packed particles, the length of the bed, via Ergun's equation, will determine the size of the particles. It seems that the usual bed porosity is about 0.4 to 0.5 and that will affect particle size as well.
Personally, I like the work with Metal Organic Frameworks because they have the potential to capture large mass of CO2 per kg. Amine functionalized MOF seems nice, but a researcher from Imperial College of London has shown that she has a cellulose based particle that performs as well as ClimeWorks beds.
I am just a medically retired chemical engineer, but this has my interest. I will not be making any significant impact, but I will read a lot and learn. Then I will share. I am not even sure my knowledge will help MIT Alumni for Climate Action (MACA). I do think DAC will make an impact in the end. Still, I am aware that we shouldn't mass deploy DAC until all fossil fuels are off the grid. We can do R&D with some carefully positioned pilot plants.
Hello Chris, it's not true that you can't make any impact. For example, the more content added to this blog, the more it will be read and become prominent on search engines. I first came here for the "Bootcamps" section, but it looks abandoned now. Do you know how I can join this blog's "MIT Alumni for climate action" group? I'd like to add content about Europe and Italy.
That being said, your emphasis on sorbents, particularly Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), for CO2 capture in Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems is quite insightful. The potential for MOFs, especially amine-functionalized ones, to capture significant CO2 masses per kg is indeed promising. It's also interesting to consider the research on cellulose-based particles from Imperial College London, demonstrating comparable performance to ClimeWorks beds. Expanding on this, it's worth exploring the integration of hybrid systems that combine the strengths of both solvent-based and sorbent-based approaches. Such a system could leverage the high CO2 capture efficiency of solvents with the lower temperature operational benefits of sorbents. Additionally, advancements in nanotechnology could lead to the development of nano-enhanced sorbents, offering higher surface areas and potentially greater efficiency in CO2 adsorption. Furthermore, while focusing on the technical aspects, it's crucial to consider the scalability and economic viability of these technologies. Innovations in process engineering and industrial design might reduce costs and enhance the feasibility of large-scale deployment. Collaboration across disciplines, including environmental engineering and sustainable business models, would be key in bringing these technologies from the lab to the field. Lastly, it's vital to keep an eye on the lifecycle environmental impact of these materials, ensuring that the solution doesn’t inadvertently create other environmental issues. Balancing technical efficiency with sustainability will be crucial for the long-term success of DAC technologies.
Contact me on LinkedIn for my Email: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-harding-9887a7157/
Hello! I don't use LinkedIn anymore because I was getting too much spam disguised as "job offers". The only social network I'm active on is Twitter.