EDIBON-MOF4AIR Pilot Plant for CO2 Adsorption Capture

The Pilot Plants for CO₂ Capture via Adsorption, "EDIBON-MOF4AIR" seek a new solution to efficiently capture carbon dioxide from power plants and industries. To address this significant issue we currently face, the European Union launched the MOF4AIR research project to tackle efficient carbon dioxide capture in power plants and industries.

At EDIBON, we have developed a solution that allows testing of MOF-type materials for CO₂ capture in industrial environments.

What is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in Energy Production and Other Industries?

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is fundamental for reducing CO₂ emissions in energy production and other key industries such as steel, cement, chemicals, and fertilizers. Capture at the emission source occurs when a large emission source, such as an industrial facility, is equipped with technology that captures and diverts CO₂ for storage, preventing it from being released into the environment.

It is also possible to eliminate historical CO₂ emissions, those already in the atmosphere, through Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACCS) or Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). These technologies are essential in vital sectors of our economy, including energy generation, natural gas processing, and clean hydrogen production.

Point-source capture of carbon can be applied in essential sectors of our economy, such as cement, steel, fertilizers, energy generation, and natural gas processing, and can also be used in clean hydrogen production. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), such as Direct Air Capture (DAC), plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change by addressing both current and historical emissions. Implementing and developing these technologies is vital to achieving net-zero emissions goals and protecting the environment for future generations.

BENEFITS OBTAINED FROM THE PROJECT

The pilot plants of the MOF4AIR project allow the optimization of adsorbents through a refined CO₂ adsorption process:

• 95% reduction in CO₂ emissions from power plants and carbon-intensive industries.
• 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Rapid transition to a low-carbon economy.
• Allows testing of adsorbent materials with various morphologies (pellets, granules, structured packings) and natures (MOFs, resins, amine-doped compounds).
• EDIBON designs and implements its own SCADA, allowing future modifications and expansions easily without relying on third parties.
• Design criterion: maximum flexibility. It allows varying and monitoring the main design variables to find the optimal operating conditions and achieve maximum performance of the tested material.
• Use of low environmental impact technologies: low GWP refrigerants, high-efficiency motors, drying system with included regeneration, thermal insulation of pipes and container.
• Ease of transport: manufactured at their final location, facilitating transport by land and sea. This solution reduces transport and installation costs, similar to a plug-and-play installation.

FINAL LOCATION OF THE PLANTS

Each of the three plants designed, manufactured, and supplied by EDIBON to different industries and research centers takes the exhaust gas containing CO₂ directly from the industrial plant's chimney, then proceeds to cool, dry, and remove contaminants from the stream:

• Test center for CO₂ capture technologies, "Technology Centre Mongstad". [Norway]
• Tupras refinery in Izmit. [Turkey]
• Solamat-Merex waste treatment center of the company Sarpi-Veolia. [France]

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

The core of the plant is a pressure swing adsorption system. This system consists of three columns containing MOF material that, when the exhaust gas passes through these columns, retains the CO₂. Subsequently, this CO₂ is recovered by creating a vacuum inside the columns. The three-column configuration, together with the complex control and management system developed by EDIBON, allows continuous operation resulting in a very high degree of recovery and purity. The exhaust gas from each industry goes through different pretreatment stages where pressure, temperature, humidity, and contaminant concentration are adjusted to create favorable entry conditions for the MOF.

These plants are designed to treat exhaust gas flows from the combustion stage and eliminate CO₂ using an MOF material. It is important to note that the plants can be operated manually or remotely and can operate continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CONTROL SCADA

Different windows are available to provide specific access to each section of the plant, as well as different buttons for each plant state.

It is possible to control the plant in different ways:

• From the pilot plant control room: The user can access the SCADA using the HMI screen located in the control room. On the screen, there is also a USB port available to connect a data storage device.
• Remote control using EDIBON SCADA software: It is possible to connect to the plant using a wired internet connection and remote access to the EDIBON SCADA software. Through this option, the user controls the same options as on the HMI screen.
• Remote control with OPC server: Communication using OPC is available, and the user can integrate all the pilot plant variables into their own platform.