After decades of research into carbon capture methods, we still do not have a favorable option. Current carbon capture technology using aqueous amine scrubbing has found a degree of usage in specific applications, but the drawbacks such as high cost, low capacity, degradation during cycling applications, and its corrosive nature have prevented widespread adoption. One potential solution is the development of high-capacity solid sorbents capable of overcoming the drawbacks faced by typical amine scrubbing. The sorbents proposed for study in this project are amine-functionalized metal organic frameworks with specific metal centers selected based on cost and performance. The source of amine used for functionalization was chosen due to its affordable nature and the fact that it is derived from a material that is otherwise considered waste. In 2016, 30.4% of utility electricity generation came from coal-fired power plants, which was produced through combustion of over 677 million tons of coal. The concomitant level of CO2 release necessitates transformational carbon capture technologies capable of capturing CO2 efficiently and at lower cost. In Phase I of this project, the first goal is to demonstrate successful synthesis of the modified metal organic framework sorbent. This will be followed by testing to show that the activated sorbent is sufficiently stable under humidity representative of flue gas from a coal-fired electricity-generation plant. Finally, testing in a lab-scale reactor will be used to demonstrate that sorbent with particular metal center and optimal amine loading has capacity and desorption performance that is capable of meeting target of $30/metric ton of CO2 captured and 95% purity desorption production, as stated by the subtopic 18b of this FOA.
