Application of PEI–K2CO3/AC for capturing CO2 from flue gas after combustion

The capture of CO2 from flue gas after combustion using solid sorbents is one of the efficient options for reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants. To satisfy the requirement of large quantities flue gas treatment, the CO2 capture capacities of the solid sorbents must be focused on. In order to obtain a sorbent with high CO2 capture capacity, a novel PEI–K2CO3/AC sorbent was prepared by impregnating potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and polyethylenimine (PEI) on activated carbon (AC) in this work. The CO2 capture performance of this sorbent was investigated using a fixed bed reactor system. The CO2 capture capacity of PEI–K2CO3/AC with the total K2CO3 and PEI loadings of 50 wt% was measured as 3.60 mmol CO2/g under the condition of 60 °C, 8% CO2 + 10% H2O. In addition, this sorbent is proved to be regenerable and stable during 5 cycle CO2 sorption–desorption tests. Compared with K2CO3/AC (loading of 58 wt%) and PEI/AC (loading of 43 wt%), PEI–K2CO3/AC presents higher CO2 capture capacity and long-term stability. Therefore, PEI–K2CO3/AC should be considered as a new option for capturing CO2 from flue gas after combustion.