US 12,668,518 B2Granted

System and method for dual-pathway system for carbon dioxide capture from ocean water

AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology

InventorsHarry A. Atwater, Chengxiang Xiang, Ibadillah A. Digdaya

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Abstract

A dual-pathway system for CO2 capture in both acidified and basified streams is provided. The system may be embodied in an off-shore stand-alone facility to allow for the operation of oceanic CO2 capture to be more efficient and cost effective. Systems maintain high environmental standards by containing all intermediate acidic and alkaline solutions in a closed system so that the effluent discharged back into the ocean is at the similar pH and salinity as the feed oceanwater, with only CO2 removed. Acid and base produced by an electrodialyzer unit is used to achieve oceanwater decarbonization via gaseous CO2 removal and solid CaCO3 precipitates removal. The system is configured to require the processing of a very small fraction of the total oceanwater intake for the acid-base generation process.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A dual-pathway system for CO2 capture comprising:

a platform disposed adjacent a source of oceanwater;
an acid-base-generator in fluid communication with the source of oceanwater comprising:
a purification apparatus configured to convert a first portion of the oceanwater into a feedstock of NaCl, and
at least one electrodialyzer in fluid communication with the purification apparatus and incorporated a bipolar membrane configured to convert the feedstock of NaCl into a HCl feedstock and a NaOH feedstock;
an acidic CO2 removal system in fluid communication with the source of oceanwater comprising:
an acidification element in fluid communication with the HCl feedstock and configured to produce an acidified oceanwater feedstock from the oceanwater, and
a catalyst-bonded membrane contactor in fluid communication with the acidification element and a vacuum system to extract gaseous CO2 from the acidified oceanwater feedstock and output a decarbonized acidified oceanwater effluent to an output;
an alkaline CO2 removal system in fluid communication with a source of fluid entrained CO2 and in further fluid communication with the NaOH feedstock and configured to produce a CO2 lean effluent and a carbonate;
wherein the alkaline CO2 removal system is in fluid communication with the fluid entrained CO2, which comprises a source of CO2 containing gas feedstock and comprises:
a direct air capture element in fluid communication with the NaOH feedstock and the CO2 containing gas feedstock configured to produce a CO2-lean gas effluent and a carbonate solution;
and
wherein the output mixes the decarbonized acidified oceanwater effluent and the carbonate solution to entrain the CO2 within the carbonate into the decarbonized acidified oceanwater effluent for release into the environment.

9 more elements

A dual-pathway method for CO2 capture comprising:

introducing a first portion of oceanwater into an acid-base-generator;
converting the first portion of the oceanwater into a feedstock of NaCl;
electrodialyzing in a bipolar membrane the NaCl into a HCl feedstock and a NaOH feedstock;
introducing a second portion of oceanwater to an acidification element in fluid communication with the HCl feedstock to produce an acidified oceanwater feedstock from the oceanwater;
extracting gaseous CO2 from the acidified oceanwater feedstock through a catalyst-bonded membrane contactor and outputting a decarbonized acidified oceanwater effluent;
introducing a source of fluid entrained CO2 to an alkaline CO2 removal system in fluid communication with the NaOH feedstock and configured to produce a CO2 lean effluent and a carbonate;
wherein the source of fluid entrained CO2 comprises a CO2 containing gas feedstock, and further comprising:
introducing the CO2 containing gas feedstock to a direct air capture element in fluid communication with the NaOH feedstock and configured to produce a CO2-lean gas effluent and a carbonate solution;
and
mixing the decarbonized acidified oceanwater effluent and the carbonate solution to entrain the CO2 within the carbonate into the decarbonized acidified oceanwater effluent for release into the environment.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.