MOF4AIR is a Horizon 2020 project gathering 14 partners from 8 countries to develop and demonstrate the performances of MOF-based CO2 capture technologies in power plants and energy intensive industries to stop climate change. MOF4AIR stands for Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF) for CO2 adsorption processes in power production and energy intensive industries. This project is carry out by European Union funds.

CO2 capture using MOF technology – MOF4AIR project

Project milestones

The pilot plants within the MOF4AIR project aim to technically, economically and energetically validate the CO2 capture process using the MOF material developed in the project and to assess the feasibility of scaling up to an industrial plant. 

Explanation of pilot plants

EDIBON has supplied each plant mounted inside a standard 40-foot open-side container. The containers are insulated and have air conditioning, lighting and air extraction systems. The containerized solutions offered by EDIBON provide great versatility as it allows to change the location of the plant in a simple way and to transport it to any place in the world by truck or ship. In addition, inside the container there is a control room isolated from the rest of the plant that allows the operator to work comfortably through an HMI connected to the PLC that controls the entire process. The plants supplied are located in industrial environments, therefore, it is also possible to control the plant remotely from the control room or from a computer via internet. 

The CO2 capture process starts with an exhaust gas conditioning. This conditioning consists of a series of stages summarized as follows: flow regulation using a pneumatic globe valve, cooling of the stream using finned tube exchangers and compact gas-to-gas recuperators, washing of the gases in a water-based wet scrubber, drying of the stream using a silica gel bed and finally, removal of pollutants (CO, VOCs, NOX and SOX) thanks to a specific activated carbon bed. The plant includes a parallel bed system and a desiccant regeneration system that allows a 24/7 continuous operation. After stream preparation, the exhaust gas is fed to a pressure swing adsorption system (VPSA) consisting of three parallel columns. The adsorption process methodology together with a MOF material specially designed for this application allows very high CO2 recovery and purity values to be achieved.  

MOF4AIR project C02 capture
reduction of CO2 project

Future significance and conclusions

The MOF4AIR projects confirm the trend towards creating a more sustainable industry, through CO2 capture using MOF technology, without environmental impact. This indicates that, in the much closer future than expected, our air will be up to 92% cleaner. This technology could lead to, for example, the reduction of the cost of capture below 25€/tCO2 and the reduction of the energy penalty below 18%. Allowing the current rate of industrial production to be maintained or even increased without damaging the environment.