Methods and systems for synthesizing iron-based materials and sequestering carbon dioxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8974757-B2
Application number	US-201013319831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2010
Priority date	May 14, 2009
Publication date	Mar 10, 2015
Grant date	Mar 10, 2015

Abstract

Methods and systems for sequestering carbon dioxide and generating hydrogen are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods include the following: dissolving an iron based material that includes a carbonate-forming element into a solution including the carbonate-forming element and iron; increasing a pH of the solution to cause precipitation of iron oxide from the solution thereby generating a first source of Fe 2 O 3 ; reacting the carbonate-forming element in the solution with a first source of carbon dioxide to produce a carbonate thereby sequestering the carbon dioxide; oxidizing the first source of Fe 2 O 3 with a carbonaceous fuel thereby generating a second source of carbon dioxide and iron; and oxidizing the iron with steam thereby generating hydrogen and an iron oxide. Some embodiments include producing iron-based catalysts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of sequestering carbon dioxide and generating hydrogen, said method comprising:
producing iron-based sorbents including chemical looping sorbents from iron-based materials using pH swing processes, said pH swing processes consuming a first source of carbon dioxide to produce carbonated minerals;
reducing said iron-based chemical looping sorbents via oxidation with a carbonaceous fuel to generate a second source of carbon dioxide for consumption in said pH swing processes; and
regenerating said iron-based chemical looping sorbents that have been reduced via oxidation with steam to generate hydrogen.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said iron-based materials include calcium-bearing minerals, magnesium-bearing minerals, and industrial wastes containing iron and carbonate-forming elements including magnesium and calcium.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising producing iron-based catalysts including Fischer Tropsch catalysts, waster-gas-shift catalysts, and biomass conversion catalysts.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said iron-based catalysts and iron-based chemical looping sorbents include iron oxides such as Fe 2 O 3 .

5. A method of sequestering carbon dioxide and generating hydrogen, said method comprising:
dissolving an iron-based material that includes a carbonate-forming element into a solution including said carbonate-forming element and iron;
increasing a pH of said solution to cause precipitation of iron oxide from said solution thereby generating a first source of Fe 2 O 3 ;
reacting said carbonate-forming element in said solution with a first source of carbon dioxide to produce a carbonate thereby sequestering said carbon dioxide;
oxidizing said first source of Fe 2 O 3 with a carbonaceous fuel thereby generating a second source of carbon dioxide and iron; and
oxidizing said iron with steam thereby generating hydrogen and an iron oxide.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising producing iron-based catalysts including Fischer Tropsch catalysts, waster-gas-shift catalysts, and biomass conversion catalysts.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said iron-based materials include calcium-bearing minerals, magnesium-bearing minerals, and industrial wastes containing iron and carbonate-forming elements including magnesium and calcium.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said carbonate forming elements include magnesium, calcium, and a combination thereof.

9. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising: oxidizing said iron oxide with oxygen thereby generating a source of fully oxidized Fe 2 O 3 .

10. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
adding one of various chelating agents that target Ma, Ca and Fe including acetic acid, citric acid, iminodiacetic acid, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, gluconic acid, ascorbic acid, phthalic acid, a salt thereof, and a combination thereof to said solution before increasing a pH of said solution to dissolve said minerals or said wastes.

11. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
reacting said carbonate-forming element in said solution with said second source of carbon dioxide to produce a carbonate thereby sequestering said carbon dioxide.

12. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
reacting said second source of Fe 2 O 3 with said carbonaceous fuel.

13. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said carbonaceous fuel includes gaseous fuels including carbon monoxide and hydrogen and methane.

14. The method according to claim 5 , wherein precipitation of iron oxide is conducted in the presence of support materials such as provided Fe 2 O 3 particles.

15. A system for sequestering carbon dioxide and generating hydrogen, said system comprising:
a mineral and waste carbonation module for producing iron-based chemical looping sorbents from at least one of minerals and industrial wastes using pH swing processes, said pH swing processes consuming a first source of carbon dioxide to produce carbonated minerals; and
a chemical looping module for generating hydrogen, said chemical looping module including reducing said iron-based chemical looping sorbents via oxidation with a carbonaceous fuel to generate a second source of carbon dioxide for consumption in said pH swing processes and regenerating said iron-based chemical looping sorbents that have been reduced via oxidation with steam to generate hydrogen.

16. The system according to claim 15 , wherein minerals include magnesium and calcium-bearing minerals including iron and industrial wastes include magnesium and calcium-bearing wastes including steel slag and fly ash containing iron.

17. The system according to claim 15 , wherein said iron-based chemical looping sorbents include Fe 2 O 3 .

18. The system according to claim 15 , wherein said pH swing processes include the use of at least one of acetic acid, citric acid, iminodiacetic acid, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, gluconic acid, ascorbic acid, phthalic acid, a salt thereof, and a combination thereof as a chelating agent to facilitate the extraction of iron from said minerals.

19. The system according to claim 15 , wherein said carbonaceous fuel includes gaseous fuels including synthetic gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and methane, and solid fuels including coal, biomass, and municipal solid wastes.

20. The system according to claim 15 , wherein said chemical looping module further comprises:
a fuel reactor for reducing said iron-based chemical looping sorbents via oxidation with a carbonaceous fuel to generate a second source of carbon dioxide; and
a hydrogen production reactor for regenerating said iron-based chemical looping sorbents that have been reduced via oxidation with steam to generate hydrogen.

Assignees

• Park Ah-Hyung Alissa
• Fan Liang-Shih
• Kim Hyung Ray
• Univ Columbia

Inventors

• Park Ah-Hyung Alissa
• Fan Liang-Shih
• Kim Hyung Ray

Classifications

• C01B3/10

  by reaction of water vapour with metals · CPC title

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title

• C01B2203/86

  Carbon dioxide sequestration · CPC title

• C01G49/06 Primary

  Ferric oxide [Fe2O3] · CPC title

• C01B3/105 Primary

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic