Amine emissions and CO 2 purity from carbon capture pilot plant at the Ł aziska coal-fired power plant

Carbon dioxide reduction by amine absorption is considered the most technologically advanced method. This method is particularly recommended for gases with low CO 2 concentrations, such as flue gases. On the other hand, the use of amine absorption solutions can contribute to the emission of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. This paper presents the emission of amines and their degradation products from a CO 2 capture pilot plant treating a slipstream (approximately 200 m 3 N /h) of flue gas from a pulverized coal-fired boiler. The studies were conducted during a 2-week research campaign at the & Lstrok;aziska Power Plant in Poland. An aqueous blend of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (25 % AMP) with piperazine (9 % PZ) was used as the absorption liquid. Among others, ammonia (12 ppmv), acetone (1 ppmv) and AMP (20 ppmv) were found to be the main contaminants in the clean gas (from the absorber). However, it should be noted that only single water wash section was used. The composition of the CO 2 produced (from the desorber) was also measured. It was shown that the main pollutants were water vapor (3 -4 % vol.), ammonia (2 -6 ppmv), nitrogen oxide, formaldehyde, and formic acid (sum, up to 10 ppmv). Traces of acetone were also detected. The composition of this gas is of practical importance for the planned management of the captured CO 2 stream. During the studies, the CO 2 capture efficiency was in the range of 86.6 %-94.6 %. The average specific reboiler heat duty (gross) was 3.24 MJ/kg of removed CO 2 .