Experimental study of carbon dioxide absorption by mixed aqueous solutions of methyl diethanolamine (MDEA) and piperazine (PZ) in a microreactor

In this study, chemical absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) was performed by using MDEA + PZ (aMDEA) solvent. A T-shaped microreactor mixer was used as the mass transfer device to improve the absorption rate. Operating conditions used in this study were operating temperature (15-55 degrees C), input solvent flow rate (0-0.41min(-1)), inlet gas flow rate (1-91min(-1)), and amine concentration in the solvent (0-40 weight percent). All the experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure and CO2 concentration of 10% in the feed gas. The central composite design method was used to set an experimental design. The results of optimization showed that the use of a microreactor for CO2 adsorption using aMDEA solvent significantly increased the total coefficient of mass transfer in the gas phase, as compared with other mass transfer devices. The maximum value obtained through the model within the range of operating variables for the response (total mass transfer coefficient in the gas phase) was 1769 kmol m(-3) h(-1) kPa(-1). (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.