PRE-COMBUSTION CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGIES FOR COAL-BASED GASIFICATION PLANTS -- Topic Area 3: Solid Sorbents with Commercially Relevant Separation Capacity and Regenerable

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PRE-COMBUSTION CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGIES FOR COAL-BASED GASIFICATION PLANTS -- Topic Area 3: Solid Sorbents with Commercially Relevant Separation Capacity and Regenerable: NOTE: This descriptive area provides an overview of Topic Area of Interest 3 only. YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT DOCUMENT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, EVALUATION CRITERIA AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE AN APPLICATION UNDER A SPECIFIC TECHNICAL TOPIC AREA OF INTEREST. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to access the Funding Opportunity Announcement. Topic Area 3: Solid Sorbents with commercially-relevant separation capacity, and regenerable: Physical adsorbents separate CO2 from a stream by preferentially attracting it to its surface at high pressures through weak interactions such as van der Walls forces, and may form a chemical bond. Regenerable adsorbents must have the ability to reverse the chemical potential of the adsorbed phase upon changing the conditions to remove the CO2. This is done through changes in pressure or stripping with an easily separable gas such as steam. Sorbents used to remove CO2 from a gas stream operate typically at higher temperatures, and can chemically react with CO2. Since adsorption is a surface phenomenon, a successful adsorbent will have a high surface area to volume ratio. An advantage of physical adsorption methods is low energy requirement to regenerate the sorbent material and quick regeneration time associated with changing the pressure. Materials of engineered porosity are preferred sorbent materials. A desirable sorbent should have high CO2 capacity, preferably function in the presence of water vapor in the gas stream, and have fast adsorption and regeneration kinetics, high durability, and the ability to be regenerated with minimal energy consumption. Sorbents that can operate at high temperatures could eliminate the need to cool the gas. Research is under way to separate hydrogen from WGS reaction sites by means of high-temperature hydrogen separation membranes. Removing CO2 from WGS reaction sites with high-temperature CO2 sorbents can be expected to similarly favor the equilibrium towards improved hydrogen production. Computational methods offer a cost-effective technique to engineer materials with tailored pore structures and connectivity, particle size, and chemical environment of the binding sites. Research that leads to absorbents with high capacity for high-pressure CO2 and whose CO2 solubility at high pressure can be manipulated using electrochemistry or redox agents with improved binding strength for CO2 offer promise. It is recognized that solid particles can be used to capture CO2 from WGS mixtures through physical adsorption or reversible chemical reactions, or a combination of the two effects. Possible configurations for contacting the feed gas with the solid particles include fixed, moving, and fluidized beds. Issues with sorbent based systems for capturing CO2 from WGS mixtures include: (1) large gas volume, (2) shifted syngas gas contaminants, (3) pressure drop through sorbent beds, and (4) high parasitic power demand for operation and sorbent recovery. Solid sorbents for CO2 capture from WGS mixtures must be capable of high CO2 loading capacities at high temperature while being able to maintain particle integrity and performance in the presence of trace amounts of contaminants. In responding to the Topic Area 3, the applicant shall demonstrate an understanding of the technology being proposed. The applicant shall describe the current level of performance of the sorbent technology, if applicable, relative to both CO2 capture and recovery efficiency and the path forward to achieving DOE's performance goal using the proposed sorbent. The applicant shall provide information relevant to overcoming the technical challenges discussed above and anticipated during the execution of technology R D efforts. The proposed R D shall be conducted according to a planned approach, including but not limited to the work such as suggested below, and the technical strategy modified and work emphasis shifted as necessary to accomplish the FOA Topic Area 3 objectives: Identify the most favorable high temperature and pressure sorbents, adsorber device designs, and preliminary/conceptual integration schemes with commercial IGCC and future IGCC-CCS systems, sorbent recovery, generate results demonstrating meaningful progress along the established development path, and technology validation; Perform tests on simulated WGS mixtures at commercially-relevant conditions and complete appropriate data reduction and analyses. The data and results shall be presented in a format and engineering units suitable for engineering development and scale-up; Using the data from above, provide an analysis listing appropriate input parameters with details sufficient to permit a preliminary economic evaluation of the adsorption process and its scale-up and commercial potential. In addition to a structured R D strategy, the applicants shall provide the following information, as applicable, about their proposed high-efficiency sorbent-based CO2 capture technology in applications submitted to the Topic Area of interest 3: Sorbent type(s) Sorbent physical and chemical properties: Sorbent particle size, surface area, active component concentration, pore size distribution, and other key characteristics; Shape of the sorbent; Density of the sorbent; Experimental data on mechanical strength. If weak, alternatives to overcome the weak mechanical strength. All auxiliary power required including refrigeration or sorbent cooling for the feed gas, blowers to overcome pressure drop, compressors for sorbent circulation, vacuum pumps, and all annual operating costs include all make-up chemical costs, replacement packing material, and water treatment chemicals. Description of the proposed configuration for contacting the feed gas with the sorbent For fixed-beds, include bed type and expected regeneration time CO2 working capacity in a unit suitable for scale-up and contactor design, such as, in mol CO2/kg sorbent, defined as the difference between the loaded sorbent at breakthrough and the sorbent after regeneration. This is measured at steady-state when cycling between CO2 adsorption and CO2 regeneration. The following working capacity information also need to be included: Theoretical maximum capacity; Actual working capacity in lab testing; Targeted CO2 working capacity and approaches to reach the target; Adsorption capacity after repeated adsorption/desorption cycles; Effect of feed gas contaminants. Chemical reactions for the CO2 adsorption/regeneration cycle Both literature and laboratory data of the heats of adsorption for adsorption/desorption reactions; Breakthrough curves at different adsorption/desorption conditions, including the expected desorption conditions (temperature/pressure); If heat of adsorption changes, then provide the data with its working capacity range; Theoretical regeneration energy, actual laboratory tested regeneration energy and target regeneration energy as a function of working capacity (per mass of CO2 removed); How to deal with water vapor if it is involved in the adsorption reaction. Total capture process steam requirement (in Btu / lb CO2 captured) Sorbent cost (in $/kg sorbent) if manufactured in large quantities Annual operating cost (in $/ton CO2 removed) Heat management in the adsorption and regeneration steps Sorbent attrition or blinding, how to deal with fines, elutriation issues CO2 adsorption isotherms at different temperatures