Method and apparatus for regenerating sorbent from carbon dioxide absorption

Abstract

A method for the regeneration of effluent from an absorber capturing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources. Reducing CO2 emissions from all sources is a key objective of most nations, and every industrial source of CO2 emissions has received extensive scrutiny. The method involves designing and installing on a source a proprietary thermal regeneration system for a sorbent used in the CO2 capture equipment system, which recirculates the sorbent liquid through an absorption column (absorber). Because sorbents used in these systems are expensive, it would be useful if the spent sorbent following absorption of CO2 is regenerated for re-use in the absorber. The present invention's regeneration method uses thermal swing (changes in temperature of the spent sorbent), and describes the integration of a waste heat recovery process into the thermal swing method. In particular, the method uses a heat transfer agent in a sealed loop circulating the heat transfer agent through a hot industrial source producing the CO2 stream.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.