Science Daily July 24, 2023
Membrane carbon capture can play a role in negative emissions technology, such as direct air capture and direct ocean capture. Direct ocean capture has a few potential advantages over direct air capture, such as avoiding land use and coupling with offshore wind and offshore storage. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh assessed the use and feasibility of hollow fiber membrane contactors (HFMCs) for direct ocean carbon capture with benign aqueous basic carbon dioxide solvents through a multifaceted approach. A 1D HFMC model incorporated fluid dynamics and the chemical kinetics of both ocean water and aqueous sodium hydroxide solvent to simulate CO2 flux behavior in two flow configurations. They refined and validated the model in the laboratory till they were able to predict the behavior through computation. They found that higher seawater flow rates and temperatures relative to the sodium hydroxide solvent improved CO2 flux. Their findings indicated that local pH swing on the seawater side will be necessary to feasibly remove carbon dioxide from seawater using HFMCs… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Graphical abstract. Credit: Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 470, 15 August 2023, 143868Â