Carbon Capture and Storage Toward Industrialization: A Novel Continuous Process for the Production of Carbon Dioxide Clathrates
Marcelo F. Costa, Carlos Moura Teixeira, A. M. L. Lopes, João P. Araújo, Madalena M. Dias, Ricardo J. Santos, José Carlos B. Lopes
Abstract
Gas hydrates have been potentially recognized for developing new technologies for CO 2 capture and storage; however, the respective industrialization faces difficulties. Hydrate's crystallization is highly exothermic, 1.3 kJ tonne −1 of captured CO 2 , and it only occurs in a narrow window of temperatures, typically 1–5 °C. Previous works have systematically reported low space–time yields (STY) due to low specific heat and mass transfer rates of the technologies tested. Herein, NetMIX, a novel mixing technology, is used for the continuous production of CO 2 hydrates. NetMIX is a structured mixer consisting of a network of unit cells comprising mixing chambers interconnected by channels. The device used here has specific heat transfer rates ranging from 10 7 to 10 8 . The setup proves to be capable of producing hydrates at a STY of 200 , two orders of magnitude larger than other technologies, resulting in a slurry with more than 20 wt% of CO 2 inside the hydrates lattice. The solid is characterized, and a cubic structure I (sI) hydrate structure is detected, with no ice traces. Moreover, results indicate that the process is stable, and no plugging occurs, crucial for industrialization.