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University of Wyoming

UW Technologies Available for Licensing

Technology Disclosure: 06-041 “A Novel Method to Sequester Flue Gas Carbon Dioxide”

Mineral Carbonation
Mineral Carbonation of Alkaline Solid Wastes


Atmospheric CO2 (g) is essential for life on Earth. However, increasing anthropogenic CO2 levels as a consequence of burning fossil fuels are raising concerns over global warming and climate change. Coal reserves are crucial for providing global energy needs. Studies suggest that coal combustion to produce power also account for more than 50% of the increase in anthropogenic CO2 levels in the atmosphere. To minimize anthropogenic CO2 emissions, new CO2 capturing technologies which are stable, safe and environmentally acceptable are required.

Natural mineral carbonation process is an interesting concept which involves permanent storage of CO2 in silicate minerals and hazardous solid wastes as carbonate minerals. However, natural mineral carbonation process is a very slow process. Our research group proposed simple and effective laboratory techniques to accelerate the natural mineral carbonation process of hazardous alkaline solid wastes (Reddy et al., 1986, 15: 129-133, Journal of Environmental Quality and Reddy et al., 1991, 25: 1466-1469, Environmental Science and Technology).

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/archive.cgi/esthag/1991/25/i08/pdf/es00020a016.pdf

We expanded these mineral carbonation studies and reported its beneficial effects to the environment. These environmental benefits include minimizing emissions of anthropogenic CO2 to the atmosphere form coal combustion plants and immobilizing toxic pollutants and creating congenial environment for biological and plant growth in hazardous solid wastes.

Reddy, K.J. 2000. Application of carbon dioxide in remediation of contaminants: A new approach. Book Chapter 36. In D.L. Wise, D.J. Trantolo, H.I. Inyang, and E.J. Cichon (eds) Remediation of Hazardous Waste Contaminated Soils, 2nd Edition, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, New York, pp829-838.

Recently, researchers at the University of Wyoming Renewable Resources and Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Departments K.J. Reddy and M.D. Argyle, respectively designed and developed a solid-gas fluidized bed mineral carbonation process to directly capture and mineralize anthropogenic flue gas CO2 into carbonates using alkaline solid materials. A principle feature of this process is in-plant use to capture and mineralize flue gas CO2 for both reducing flue gas CO2 emissions and help protect natural resources (air, surface water, soil, and groundwater) when mineralized hazardous wastes are land disposed.

http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWRENEWABLE/Faculty/Reddy.asp

We tested our solid-gas fluidized bed reactor at a typical coal combu
stion Power Plant in Wyoming. Results from these initial experiments are very encouraging. Our flue gas CO2 mineralization process has several potential benefits:
•    Since this is a solid-gas process it has several advantages over other proposed      wet CO2 capturing processes.
•    Process is rapid, reaction times involving less than 10 minutes, thus ideal for retrofitting existing coal combustion plants.
•    Economically capturing CO2 from coal combustion flue gasses and converting these greenhouse emissions into beneficial products (e.g., carbonate minerals).
•     Separation and compression of CO2 from flue gas are not required;
•     Additional water supplies for the process are not required;
•     Process also immobilizes contaminants (e.g., selenium, arsenic, copper, lead, manganese) in mineralized fly ash and bottom ash and simplifies disposal options for treated ash.
•     Minerals such as lime (CaO available as industrial by-product), silicate minerals (Ca and Mg silicates), and suitable clay minerals can be easily mixed with coal ash to enhance the efficiency of CO2 capture from flue gases.

If you would like to learn more about this novel carbonation method to sequester flue gas CO2 and how your company may apply it in commercial situations, please contact Davona Douglass at the University of Wyoming Research Products Center. We would be pleased to share further details.