System and Method for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Sequestration

A system for cyclically removing carbon dioxide from a CO2-laden gas flow selected from ambient air or a blended mixture of a minor portion of carbon dioxide-containing effluent gases with a major portion of carbon dioxide laden ambient air, by adsorbing or binding the CO2 on a sorbent for CO2, and capturing the CO2 by stripping the CO2 from the sorbent, the system comprising:

• a contact structure comprising a porous substrate with a surface area along which an amine sorbent is distributed that is capable of reversibly adsorbing, or binding to, carbon dioxide, an air conduit, open at one end to the ambient atmosphere and at a second end to a blending zone, an effluent gas conduit having an inlet and an outlet, the blending zone being also connected to the outlet from the effluent gas conduit, the inlet to the effluent gas conduit being connected to a source of effluent gases, the outlet from the blending zone emptying into the contact structure, the relative flow of effluent gases and ambient air into the blending zone being such as to result in a gas blend comprising not greater than 25% by volume of effluent gases and a blended temperature of not greater than 25° C. after blending;
• the capture structure being movable between a first location where it receives the blended flow of carbon dioxide-laden ambient air and effluent gases, and a second location;
• a sealable regeneration chamber located at the second location and capable of sealingly containing the capture structure;
• a source of process heat steam for providing steam at a temperature of not greater than about 130° C.;
• a hot fluid conduit connected to the source of process heat steam and to the sealable regeneration chamber for directing such process heat steam at the carbon dioxide-loaded sorbent on the capture structure in the regeneration chamber to strip carbon dioxide from the sorbent;
• and
• a fluid conduit for carrying the stripped carbon dioxide away from the regeneration chamber.

A system for cyclically removing carbon dioxide from a CO2-laden gas flow selected from ambient air or a blended mixture of a minor portion of carbon dioxide-containing effluent gases with a major portion of carbon dioxide laden ambient air with a CO2 adsorbent, the system comprising:

• a chamber at one location, including an automated system of block valves controlling various fluid flows, the fluid flows including a flow of the CO2-laden gas, a flow of process heat steam, and a flow of stripped CO2;
• a carbon dioxide contact structure within the chamber, the contact structure comprising a porous substrate with a surface area along which an amine sorbent is distributed, the amine sorbent being capable of reversibly adsorbing, or binding, carbon dioxide;
• a CO2-laden gas flow conduit, open at one end to the CO2-laden gas flow and at a second end to the chamber containing the contact structure;
• an automated block valve on the CO2-laden gas flow conduit for opening and closing the conduit to the CO2-laden gas flow into the chamber;
• a hot fluid conduit for providing steam at a temperature of up to about 130° C. designed to be connected to a source of process heat steam and to the chamber for directing process heat steam at the carbon dioxide-loaded sorbent on the capture structure in the chamber to strip carbon dioxide from the sorbent;
• an automated block valve on the hot fluid flow conduit for opening and closing the conduit to the hot fluid flow into the chamber;
• a CO2 conduit for carrying stripped carbon dioxide away from the chamber;
• and
• an automated block valve on the CO2 conduit for opening and closing the conduit to the flow out of the chamber of the stripped CO2;
• whereby the automated block valve system is designed and adapted to alternatively and successively pass carbon dioxide laden air to the carbon capture structure through the CO2-laden gas flow conduit and to pass process heat steam to the carbon capture structure, through the hot fluid conduit, to separate the carbon dioxide from the sorbent and regenerate the sorbent, and to allow the capture of the stripped CO2 from the chamber.