Stability of a Benzyl Amine Based CO2 Capture Adsorbent in View of Regeneration Strategies

In this work, the chemical and thermal stability of a primary amine-functionalized ion-exchange resin (Lewatit VP OC 1065) is studied in view of the potential options of regenerating this sorbent in a CO2 removal application. The adsorbent was treated continuously in the presence of air, different O-2/CO2/N, mixtures, concentrated CO2, and steam, and then the remaining CO, adsorption capacity was measured. Elemental analysis, BET/BJH analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravirnetric analysis were applied to characterize adsorbent properties. This material was found to be thermally and hydrothermally stable at high temperatures. However, significant oxidative degradation occurred already at moderate temperatures (above 70 degrees C). Temperatures above 120 degrees C lead to degradation in concentrated dry CO2. Adding moisture to the concentrated CO2 stream improves the CO2-induced stability. Adsorbent regeneration with nitrogen stripping is studied with various parameters, focusing on minimizing the moles of purge gas required per mole of CO2 desorbed.