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This paper presents a techno-economic study to seek the feasibility about the proposed system that integrating solar-assisted pressure-temperature swing adsorption (PTSA) into an 800MWe coal-fired power plant. Solar energy has the potential to supply thermal energy demand for carbon capture, which can avoid the energy consumption of the traditional method such as the steam extraction. The performance of the proposed system is largely affected by the climatic conditions and solar collector's types. The assessment criteria include carbon emission intensity (CEO, levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and cost of CO2 avoidance (COA). By the parametric analysis, the results show that CEI of the novel system with solar thermal collectors is approximately 2g/kWh lower than that of the referenced power plant with CO2 adsorption capture. In addition, CEI of the novel system can be further decrease with the decline of desorption temperature, adsorption pressure and desorption pressure. For the sake of lower LCOE and COA, the prices of the power plant capacity, adsorbents and solar collectors should be reduced. Specifically, LCOE of the system with evacuated tube collector will be lower than that of the reference system with CO2 capture as the price of solar field is lower than 46.08 USD/m2., QC 20190315

Abrupt climate change such as the loss of Arctic sea-ice area urgently needs negative emissions technologies. The potential application of direct air capture of carbon dioxide from indoor air and outdoor air in closed buildings or crowded places has been discussed in this paper. From the aspects of carbon reduction and indoor comfort, the ventilation system integrating a capture device is of great value in practical use. For ultra-dilute carbon dioxide sources, many traditional separation processes have no cost advantages, but adsorption technologies such as temperature vacuum swing adsorption is one of suitable methods. Thermodynamic exploration has been investigated regarding minimum separation work and second-law efficiency at various concentrations in the air. The influence of concentration, adsorption temperature, desorption temperature and desorption pressure on the energy efficiency has also been evaluated. Results show that the minimum separation work for the level of 400 ppm is approximately 20 kJ/mol. The optimal second-law efficiencies are 44.57%, 37.55% and 31.60%, respectively for 3000 ppm, 2000 ppm and 1000 ppm. It means that a high energy-efficiency capture device in buildings merits attention in the exploration of the possibility of approaching negative carbon buildings., QC 20190403

Because of the ability to utilize the low-grade solar thermal energy for regeneration, a CO2 capture system characterized by solar-assisted pressure temperature swing adsorption (SOL-PTSA) is studied on the effects of adsorbent materials. A detailed cycle description is firstly presented within the diagram of adsorption isotherm for the energy-efficiency analysis. Typical adsorbent materials, including zeolites and chemical adsorbent, are assessed in terms of sensible heat and latent heat, etc. Then, the energy consumption and the second-law efficiency, which can be considered as lumped indicators from such material parameters, are chosen as performance indicators as well. The influence of separation temperature, desorption temperature, CO2 concentration and CO2 adsorption pressure on system performance are finally obtained. For the chosen three adsorbent materials, the energy consumption of SOL-PTSA system is at the range of 25.96-87.76 kJ/mol, and the corresponding second law efficiencies are at the range of 9.18-26.89%. The effect of adsorbent materials on the energy-efficiency of SOL-PTSA system mainly depends on specific heat, CO2 working capacity and cycle design. In addition, the integration options of solar energy into PTSA technology are also discussed from the standpoint of the utilization of solar grade heat due to two energy loads required for PTSA's operation., QC 20180801

This study explores the impacts of materials, such as adsorbents and electrodes, on the energy efficiency of a 4-step ESA cycle for CO2 capture. Three types of adsorbents including activated carbon honeycomb monolith (ACHM) and two hybrid adsorbents are compared, and two kinds of electrodes such as aluminum and brass are combined for comparative analysis. Process description of ESA cycle, including feed, electrification, electrification with purge and cooling, is presented via the adsorption isotherm diagram. By the theory of thermodynamic carbon pump, sensitivity analysis of cycle parameters is evaluated in terms of the second-law efficiency (Eff(2nd)) and the electrical heating efficiency (Eff(ele)). The results show that Eff(2nd) of the employed adsorbents is in the range of 1.17%-6.15%, and Effele of the selected electrodes is between 27.46% and 60.91%. Among the three adsorbents, Eff(2nd) of ACHM is the lowest one compared to the others. Similarly, Effele of the combination with brass is superior to that of the groups with aluminum. However, the actual efficiency of ESA cycle is the production of both Eff(2nd) and Eff(ele), which is approximately 1.03%-3.66%. Typical measures are proposed to reduce the heat loss of the adsorbents and electrodes as well for future work., QC 20180807