Enhancement of CO2 capture at Ca-looping conditions by high-intensity acoustic fields

The Ca-Looping (CaL) technology, based on a dual gas-fluidized bed system of CaO/CaCO3 particles operated at high temperature, is a viable technological process for highly efficient pre-combustion and post-combustion CO2 capture. In this paper we show a lab-scale experimental study on the carbonation/decarbonation of a fluidized bed of CaO particles at CaL conditions as affected by the application of a high-intensity acoustic field. The results obtained demonstrate that both carbonation and decarbonation are remarkably enhanced for sound intensity levels above 140 dB and frequencies of about 100 Hz. Fine particles (of size smaller than dp ∼ 100 μm) are entrained in the oscillating gas flow induced by an acoustic field of such low frequency, which yields a strong agitation of the bed and improves the gas–solid contact efficiency. On the other hand, an intense convection of gas flow (acoustic streaming) is generated on the surface of larger particles unmovable by the sound wave, which promotes the heat/mass transfer at the gas–solid boundary in this case. Either of these mechanisms, whose relative importance will depend on the average particle size and sound frequency, will contribute to increase the carbonation and decarbonation rates of CaO fluidized beds in the CaL technology.