Analysis of dynamic CO₂ capture over 13X zeolite monoliths in the presence of SOx, NOx and humidity

In this investigation, the CO 2 capture performances of zeolite 13X monoliths with 600 and 800 cells per square inch (cpsi) in the presence of SO 2 /NO impurities under dry and humid conditions were evaluated and compared with that of 13X beads. Dynamic breakthrough tests demonstrated a drastic reduction in CO 2 capture capacity and deterioration of kinetics under dry‐clean conditions, whereas, upon switching the feed from a clean gas to contaminated gas which contained SO 2 and NO, different adsorption performance was observed. Specifically, in dry‐contaminated mode, the adsorbents retained their capture capacities with comparable kinetics to that of dry‐clean feed conditions, however, in humid‐contaminated mode, the adsorbents experienced improved CO 2 uptake and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity, albeit at the expense of deteriorated kinetics. These findings indicate that the presence of SO 2 and NO contaminants, especially SO 2 contaminants, lead to dramatic changes in the adsorption performance of zeolite 13X monoliths, indicating the importance of evaluating adsorbent materials under realistic conditions.