Develop and demonstrate laboratory-scale MEA (and other amine) oxidation models for larger-scale PCC

Project Title:

Develop and demonstrate laboratory-scale MEA (and other amine) oxidation models for larger-scale PCC

Supervisor(s):

Supervisor(s): Assoc. Professor Vince Verheyen and Dr. Alicia Reynolds

Contact person and email address:

Contact person: vince.verheyen@federation.edu.au

A brief description of the project:

Despite many years of research into the oxidation of amines used to separate CO₂ from other gases (eg, post-combustion capture of CO₂) in the presence of oxygen, there is still a need to develop an oxidation scheme that operates at laboratory scale and accurate predicts the impact of oxygen, temperature and impurities at larger scales.

• Substitution studies involving the replacement of common functional groups (hydroxyl and amino) with less reactive groups. This would include comparing reaction rates and products of MEA, ethylenediamine and ethylene glycol.
• Investigating the role of radical oxidation reactions including the use of peroxide and metal-catalysed radical species.

Available resources

• Samples and data from a range of pilot-scale PCC campaigns
• Advanced analytical equipment for the identification and quantification of oxidation products
• Variety of reaction vessels including autoclaves, ovens and stirred vessels.

Potential industrial impact: reduce operational cost and environmental impact of separating CO2 from fossil-fuel or industrial process flue gases
Potential partners: CSIRO.
Technology readiness level: 8. PCC from coal-fired power stations has been demonstrated at scale.