The issue of carbon dioxide emission is a global problem causing serious concern and a major contributory factor to global warming. Qatar as a major producer of natural gas has the highest per capita emission rate for carbon dioxide globally. This has dire consequences for the environment. As a result of this, the Gas Processing Center (GPC) of Qatar University has been engaged in research projects aimed at evolving methods for carbon capture mainly from industrial and natural gas streams.. The GPC Carbon Capture and Management (CCM) team is working on developing different technologies for carbon dioxide capture, focusing mainly on liquid solvent and solid sorbent technologies and catalytic conversion technologies.
CO2 Capture
The issue of carbon dioxide emission is a global problem causing serious concern and a major contributory factor to global warming. Qatar as a major producer of natural gas has the highest per capita emission rate for carbon dioxide globally. This has dire consequences for the environment. As a result of this, the Gas Processing Center (GPC) of Qatar University has been engaged in research projects aimed at evolving methods for carbon capture mainly from industrial and natural gas streams.. The GPC Carbon Capture and Management (CCM) team is working on developing different technologies for carbon dioxide capture, focusing mainly on liquid solvent and solid sorbent technologies and catalytic conversion technologies.
The Gas Processing Centre is adopting a Carbon Capture and Management (CCM) research program based on the previously developed GPC Technology Roadmap (TRM) which identified promising directions for research in carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and management (CCM). A rapid growing interest in the application of CO2 capture and storage technology worldwide is being observed. This growing interest has brought about a growing global consensus that CCM is one of a number of measures to be taken to address CO2 emissions and that without CCM it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible to reduce CO2 emissions to the levels needed to mitigate climate change effects.
The Gas Processing Center’s carbon dioxide capture management (CCM) research program takes into account the significant developments that have occurred worldwide and works to identify key knowledge gaps and areas where research should be undertaken. This is done by taking into consideration the direct application of the research outcomes in the Qatari economy through effective collaboration with the local industry major players, especially in the oil and gas sector.
The GPC is aimed at exploring the potentials of number of different types of gas separation membranes, including polymer, facilitated transport, molecular sieves and gas absorption membrane. Technical challenges will be addresses in this pathway of research include the development of low-cost, durable membranes with improved selectivity, thermal and physical stability, tolerant of contaminants in combustion flue gas, and suitable for large volumes of CO2 with low pressure.
SO2 Removal
SO2 is usually captured by Ca (OH)2 in water and CaSO3 in slurry is oxidized into CaSO4 to be separated (wet process). Another way is to oxidize SO2 in gas to be absorbed on activated carbon in form of SO3 (H2SO4), which is recovered by heating in SO2 of the concentrated form which is oxidized into H2SO4 or reduced in to solid sulfur.
Currently Hg co-present with SO2 is a target of SO2 removal. In wet process Hg is catalytically oxidized (often SCR for NOx oxidation) to be soluble in water and their precipitated with CaSO4. Hg inventory must be established even if cleaned air and water can be free from Hg. Activated carbon can adsorb oxidatively Hg. Hg recovery free from SO2 is a target of current research. According to the forms of the reactor for SO2 removal, the mechanical properties activity and forms of activated carbon must be adjusted Granular. Coke and fiber forms of activated carbon are available.
A variety of semi-dry SO2 removal is possible where adsorbed SO3 on the activated carbon fiber is continuously recovered in a form of diluted H2SO4. NOx reduction is also possible on the activated carbon.