Carbon Dioxide Capture
The Group has an international reputation for research focussing on developing solid adsorbents for post-combustion capture (PCC) where both activated carbons (ACs) and supported amines have the potential to reduce regeneration energies considerably lower than for advanced amine systems.
There is extensive international collaboration, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences with whom the carbon bead adsorbents have been jointly developed and the Korean Institute of Energy Research who are testing 100 kg quantities of adsorbents prepared at Nottingham.
Other research covers fundamental aspects of oxyfuel combustion, including circulating fluidised beds. The technical and economic feasibility of carbon dioxide reuse for the production of materials, chemicals and fuels are also examined via comprehensive process and cost modelling studies. Furthermore, Nottingham is one of the core partners in the UK CCS Research Centre. Further, the adsorbents developed has also bene used for multi-pollutant control, including mercury.
Current Projects
UK CCS Research Centre
Funder: EPSRC
Total value: £500k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators:
Multi-stimuli Responsive Smart Hydrogels for Energy-Efficient CO2 Scrubbing
Funder: EPSRC
Total value: £200k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators:
Past Projects
Innovative Adsorbent Materials and Processes for Integrated Carbon Capture and Multi-pollutant Control for Fossil Fuel Power Generation
Funder: EPSRC
Total value: £952k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators:
Project partners:
- University College of London
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Institute of Coal Chemistry
- Southeast University
- Tsinghua University
Key publications:
J Liu, N Sun, C Sun, H Liu, C Snape, K Li, W Wei, Y Sun, ‘Spherical potassium intercalated activated carbon beads for pulverised fuel CO2 post-combustion capture’, Carbon, 2015, 94, 243-255
B. Zhu, K. Li, J. Liu, H. Liu, C. Sun, C E Snape and Z.X. Guo, Nitrogen-enriched and hierarchically porous carbon macro-spheres - ideal for large-scale CO2 capture, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 5481-5489
N. Sun, Z, Tang, W. Wei, C.E. Snape and Y. Sun, Solid adsorbents for CO2 capture with low energy penalties leading to integrated low carbon energy solutions, Frontiers in Energy Research, section Carbon Capture, Storage, and Utilization, 2015, 3, article 9
C.G. Sun, C.E. Snape and H. Liu, Development of low-cost functional adsorbents for control of mercury (Hg) emissions from coal combustion, Energy & Fuels, 2013, 27(7), 3875–3882
The Next Generation of Activated Carbon Adsorbents for the Pre-Combustion Capture of CO2 (Different partners)
Funder: EPSRC
Total value: £694k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators:
Project partners:
- University of Birmingham
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Institute of Coal Chemistry
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute
Key publications:
C. Zhang, W. Song, G. Sun, L.J. Xie, J. Wang, K. Li, C.G. Sun, H. Liu, C.E. Snape and T.C. Drage, CO2 capture with activated carbon grafted by nitrogenous functional groups, Energy & Fuels, 2013, 27(8), 4818-4823
N. Sun; C, Sun; H. Liu; T. Drage; C.E. Snape; K. Li and W. Wei, Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of activated carbon beads for CO2 capture, Fuel, 2013, 113, 854–862
N. Sun, C, Sun, H.Liu, J. Liu, T. Drage, C.E. Snape, K. Li, W. Wei and Y. Sun, Surface-modified spherical activated carbon materials for pre-combustion CO2 capture, RSC Advances, 2015, 5(42), 33681-33690
S. Caldwell, B. Al-Duri, N. Sun, C. Sun, C.E. Snape, K. Li and J. Wood, Carbon dioxide separation from nitrogen/hydrogen mixtures over activated carbon beads: adsorption isotherms and breakthrough studies, Energy & Fuels, 2015, 29, 3796–3807
Effective Adsorbents for Establishing Solids Looping as a Next Generation NG PCC Technology (CO2 capture technology: Post-combustion capture with solids sorbents)
Funder: EPSRC
Total value: £757k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators:
Project partners:
- University College London
- University of Leeds
Key publications:
W Zhang, C Sun, C Snape, R Irons, S Stebbing, T Alderson, D Fitzgerald, H Liu, ‘Process simulations of post-combustion CO2 capture for coal and natural gas-fired power plants using a polyethyleneimine/silica adsorbent’, International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 2017, 58 276–289;
W Zhang, H Liu, Y Sun, J Cakstins, C Sun, CE Snape, ‘Parametric study on the regeneration heat requirement of an amine-based solid adsorbent process for post-combustion carbon capture’, Applied Energy, 2016, 168, 394-405;
W Zhang, H Liu, C Sun, T Drage, CE Snape, ‘Performance of polyethyleneimine–silica adsorbent for post-combustion CO2 capture in a bubbling fluidized bed’, Chemical Engineering Journal, 2014, 251, 293-303
W Zhang, H Liu, C Sun, T Drage, CE Snape, ‘Capturing CO2 from ambient air using a polyethyleneimine–silica adsorbent in fluidized beds’, Chemical Engineering Science, 2014, 116, 306-316
Ultra-Supercritical (USC) steam power generation technology with Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB): Combustion, Materials and Modelling (CO2 capture technology: Oxy-Fuel Combustion)
Funder: EPSRC
Total value: £1033k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators:
Project partners:
- University of Sheffield
- University of Warwick
Experimental investigation with PACT facility and CFD modelling of oxy-coal combustion with recycling real flue gas and vent gas of compression and purification units (CO2 capture technology: Oxy-Fuel Combustion)
Funder: EPSRC/UKCCSRC
Total value: £255k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators:
Associated Publications:
A.C. Sarroza, T. D. Bennet, C. Eastwick, H. Liu, ‘Characterising pulverised fuel ignition in a visual drop tube furnace by use of a high-speed imaging technique’, Fuel Processing technology, 2017, 157,1-11
X. Bai, G. Lu, T. Bennet, A. Sarroza, C. Eastwick, H. Liu, Y. Yan, ‘Combustion behavior profiling of single pulverized coal particles in a drop tube furnace through high-speed imaging and image analysis’, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 2017, 85, 322-330
CO2 Post-Combustion Capture Using Amine Impregnated Synthetic Zeolites
Funder: EPSRC
Total value: £192k
Principle Investigators:
Co-Investigators: