System and Method for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Sequestration

Abstract

A method and a system for removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, using a sorbent under ambient conditions, to obtain relatively pure CO 2 . The CO 2 is removed from the sorbent using process heat, preferably in the form of steam, at a temperature in the range of not greater than about 130° C., to capture the relatively pure CO 2 . Increased efficiency can be achieved by admixing with the ambient air, prior to contacting the sorbent, a minor amount of a preferably pretreated effluent gas containing a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. The captured carbon dioxide can be stored for further use, or sequestered permanently. The system provides the sorbent substrate and equipment for carrying out the above method, and for obtaining purified carbon dioxide for further use in agriculture and chemical processes, or for permanent sequestration.

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         23 . A system for removing carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide laden air, the system comprising:
 a carbon dioxide capture structure comprising a porous solid mass having a high surface area and a sorbent, distributed along its surface are and that is capable of reversibly adsorbing, or binding, to carbon dioxide,   an air conduit for bringing a flow of carbon dioxide-laden air to and through the carbon dioxide capture structure,   a hot fluid conduit for directing process heat at the carbon dioxide-loaded sorbent on the capture structure to strip carbon dioxide from the sorbent; and   a fluid conduit for carrying the separated carbon dioxide away from the capture structure.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the porous solid mass comprises a bed of highly porous silica particles, where each particle supports on their surfaces the sorbent. 
     
     
         25 . The system as defined in  claim 22 , wherein the porous solid mass comprises a highly porous monolithic ceramic structure which supports along its surface area the sorbent. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the porous solid mass is in the form of a vertically oriented carbon capture structure, and further comprising a removal chamber for containing the capture structure and in fluid flow relationship with the air conduit; a regeneration chamber for containing the capture structure and in fluid flow relationship with the hot fluid conduit;
 the regeneration chamber being sealable when containing the capture structure; and   a carriage for alternately moving the sorbent frame between the capture chamber and the release chamber.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the hot fluid conduit carries saturated steam and further comprising pressure means for removing residual air from the capture structure and the regeneration chamber before introducing the saturated steam into the regeneration chamber. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 25  further comprising a CO 2  measuring detector located, at the exit from the removal chamber to measure the CO 2  content of air after contacting the capture structure, so as to determine when to remove the capture structure from the removal chamber, and a CO 2  measuring detector located, at the exit from the regeneration chamber to determine when to halt the flow of steam and remove the capture structure from the regeneration chamber. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 26  comprising a pair of vertically oriented carbon capture structures wherein the carriage moves each such vertically oriented carbon capture structure alternately and successively to the removal chamber and to the regeneration chamber while the other of the pair of vertically oriented carbon capture structures is being moved in the opposite direction, such that when one such vertically oriented carbon capture structure is being heated with process heat to separate the previously adsorbed carbon dioxide from the sorbent and regenerate the sorbent on the porous support, the other is in the removal chamber adsorbing CO 2  from the air. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 23 , comprising an automatically operating valve system designed and adapted to alternatively and successively pass carbon dioxide laden air to the carbon capture structure and to pass process heat to the carbon capture structure to separate the carbon dioxide from the sorbent and regenerate the sorbent. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 23  for capturing carbon dioxide from ambient air, by providing energy to a primary production process with generated usable and waste process heat, and said primary process emitting one or more effluent gases of effluent gas heat, the system comprising, in combination:
 heat exchanger hardware, 
 conduits for conducting process heat from said primary process to said heat exchanger hardware, said conducted process heat characterized as being substantially independent of said effluent gas heat, 
 a boiler utilizing a portion of said conducted process heat to co-generate saturated steam, 
 a sorbent frame supporting the sorbent; 
 a carbon dioxide capture chamber, the capture chamber communicating with ambient air; 
 a carbon dioxide release chamber; 
 a carriage for alternately moving the sorbent frame between the capture chamber and the release chamber; 
 a pump for removing air from said release chamber, and for removing pressurizing carbon dioxide released from the sorbent frame; and 
 storage means for holding the pressurized carbon dioxide. 
 
     
     
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