Testing and integration of novel hydrotalcite solid sorbents with intensified fluidized bed units for CO₂ capture in industrial processes

Industrial processes account for 25% of total EU CO₂ emissions, and moreover, they are already operating at or close to the theoretical limits of efficiency. Therefore, CO₂ capture and storage is the only technology that can deliver the required emission reductions (EU 2050 targets). However, current capture technologies based on amine-based absorption have a significant energy penalty. One promising future technology is the use of solid adsorbents, which require 30-50% less energy than the MEA-based absorption process.

In this project, we will work in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University and Sheffield University to develop, test and optimize novel Hydrotalcite sorbents for use in industrial carbon capture. At Newcastle University, we will use 3D printing to enable to rapid manufacture and testing of a series of different fluidized bed to screen various sorbents developed by our collaborators. It is envisaged that micro-fluidised beds will be used for initial screening, before scale-up to pilot scale towards the end of the project. There is also the possibility to study heat and mass transfer enhancement using intensified beds such as the Toroidal fluidized bed.

There are 3 PhD projects available in this area:

• Development of micro-beds for rapid sorbent screening. This will include the study of wall effects and bed scale-up towards pilot scale. (Experimental project)

• Development of intensified fluidized beds for the carbon capture process, including toroidal and centrifugal fluidized beds. (Experimental project)

• Development of CFD-DEM (or similar) models to aid the design and optimization of intensified fluidized beds for the carbon capture process. (Computational project with some experimental validation).

Unfortunately, we do not have funding to offer PhD studentships in this area. However, this work will contribute towards an ongoing EPSRC project in this area which has a substantial materials and equipment budget.

Please contact Vladimir Zivkovic (Vladimir.zivkovic@newcastle.ac.uk), Richard Law (Richard.law2@ncl.ac.uk) and/or David Reay (david.reay@ncl.ac.uk) for more information.