Mechanism Investigation of Advanced Metal–Ion–Mediated Amine Regeneration: A Novel Pathway to Reducing CO2 Reaction Enthalpy in Amine-Based CO2 Capture

The high energy consumption of CO 2 and absorbent regeneration is one of the most critical challenges facing commercial application of amine-based postcombustion CO 2 capture. Here, we report a novel approach of metal–ion-mediated amine regeneration (MMAR) to advance the process of amine regeneration. MMAR uses the dual ability of amine to reversibly react with CO 2 and reversibly complex with metal ions to reduce the enthalpy of the CO 2 reaction, thus decrease the overall heat requirement for amine regeneration. To elucidate the mechanistic effects behind MMAR’s ability to reduce CO 2 reaction enthalpy, we developed a comprehensive chemical model describing the chemistry of Me(II)–monoethanolamine(MEA)–CO 2 –H 2 O system. The model was then validated using experimentally determined CO 2 partial pressures via vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) measurements. We used the validated chemical model to gain insight into VLE behavior and solution chemistry, and to identify the specific changes in CO 2 reaction enthalpy with and without metal ions. Two metals and five amines were evaluated in detail, which revealed that metal-ions with high complexation enthalpy and amines with large carbamate stability constant are preferred in MMAR, owing to their large reduction in reaction enthalpy and regeneration duty. We anticipate that MMAR could provide an alternative pathway to reducing the energy consumption of absorbent regeneration, ultimately making amine-based processes more technically and economically viable.