Semi-Dry Carbonation Process Using Fly Ash from Solid Refused Fuel Power Plant

The increasing CO2 concentration in the Earth's atmosphere, mainly caused by fossil fuel combustion, has led to concerns about global warming. Carbonation is a technique that can be used as a carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology for CO2 sequestration. In this study, the utilization of the fly ash from a solid refused fuel (SRF) power plant as a solid sorbent material for CO2 capture via semi-dry carbonation reaction was evaluated as a simple process to reduce CO2. The fly ash was exposed to accelerated carbonation conditions at a relative humidity of 25, 50, 75, and 100%, to investigate the effects of humidity on the carbonation kinetics of the fly ash. The reaction conditions such as moisture, concentration of CO2, and reaction time can affect CO2 capture performance of fly ash. Due to a short diffusion length of H2CO3 in water, the semi-dry process exhibits faster carbonation reaction than the wet process. Especially, the semi-dry process does not require a wastewater treatment plant because it uses a small amount of water. This study may have important implications, illustrating the possibility of replacing the wet process with the semi-dry process.