Mitigating the Impact of CO2 Emissions
10-24-2024
The use of fossil fuels contributes significantly to rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the Earth’s atmosphere – one of the gases that cause the greenhouse effect and the resulting climate change. Carbon capture technology aims to help curb the further increase of carbon dioxide and mitigate global warming.
Vacuum technology plays an important role in carbon capture because it significantly increases the efficiency of the capture processes. There are two forms of carbon capture.
Industries with high CO2 emissions, such as power plants and steelworks, use carbon capture technologies to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. One such process is membrane separation, in which vacuum and overpressure are used to create a pressure gradient that increases the permeability of CO2 through a membrane. Membrane separation takes place in two stages to maximize the purity of the recovered CO2.
It is also possible to filter previously emitted carbon dioxide from the ambient air in a process known as direct air capture (DAC). Inside the collectors of a carbon capture system, fans draw in the air. This flows through adsorption filters that separate the carbon dioxide. It is necessary to lower the pressure to release, or desorb, the captured CO2 molecules again. Vacuum pumps are used here to reduce the pressure in the adsorption filter and allow the captured CO2 molecules to detach from the filter material (sorbent) and return to a gaseous state. This alternating process is called vacuum swing adsorption.
Vacuum pumps from the Busch Group are used for both industrial carbon capture and direct air capture. In industrial applications that require reliability and a contaminant-free environment, COBRA screw vacuum pumps from Busch are the ideal choice. MINK claw vacuum pumps offer a reliable and efficient solution for carbon capture thanks to their dry and contact-free operation. Okta 8000 G vacuum boosters from Pfeiffer Vacuum are ideally suited for applications with high pressure differentials and can be operated without a backing pump.
Carbon capture storage or utilization
There are various solutions for using the extracted carbon dioxide. For example, it can be mixed with water and injected underground into rock, where it mineralizes and is thus permanently removed from the atmosphere.
A second option is the recycling of carbon dioxide (CCU – carbon capture and utilization). CO2 can be used as a fertilizer in greenhouses, for example, as it increases the yield of greenhouse plants. The beverage industry needs CO2 to carbonate drinks. In fire extinguishers, CO2 is stored in liquid form and used as an extinguishing agent. It displaces the oxygen and smothers the flames. In the chemical industry, CO2 is used to produce organic compounds.
