Economical CO2, SOx, and NOx capture from fossil-fuel utilization with combined renewable hydrogen production and large-scale carbon sequestration

Abstract: The objective of this project was to investigate and demonstrate production methods at a continuous, bench-scale level and generate sufficient material for an initial evaluation of a potentially profitable method of producing bioenergy and sequestering carbon. The novel process uses agricultural, forestry, and waste biomass to produce hydrogen using pyrolysis and reforming technologies conducted in a 50kg/h pilot demonstration. The test runs produced a novel, nitrogen-enriched, slow-release, carbon-sequestering fertilizer. Seven kilograms of the material were produced for further plant growth response testing. A pyrolysis temperature profile was discovered that results in a carbon char with an affinity for capturing CO2 through gas phase reaction with mixed nitrogen-carrying nutrient compounds within the pore structures of the carbon char. A bench-scale project demonstrated a continuous process fluidized-bed agglomerating process. The total amount of CO2 sequestration was managed by controlling particle discharge rates based on density. The patent-pending process is particularly applicable to fossil-fuel power plants as it also removes SOx and NOx, does not require energy-intensive carbon dioxide separation and operates at ambient temperature and pressure. The method of sequestration uses existing farm fertilizer distribution infrastructure to deliver a carbon that is highly resistant to microbiological decomposition. The physical structure of carbon material provides a framework for building an NPK fertilizer inside the pore structure and creating a physical slow-release mechanism of these nutrients. The complete process produces three times as much hydrogen as it consumes making it a net energy producer for the affiliated power plant. See http://www.eprida.com/hydro. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]