Mohammad Hashem Sedghkerdar

The steam gasification of biomass in the presence of calcium oxide offers a viable route for the dual purpose of hydrogen production and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. Although previous studies have dealt with experimental and intrinsic rate constants of carbonation and calcination of calcium looping cycles, the data has not been compared with thermodynamic or kinetic simulation. In this study, the thermodynamic and kinetic simulation of the CO2 capture process using two calcium-based sorbents (i.e., Imasco dolomite and Cadomin limestone) have been studied using Aspen Plus software. The thermodynamic simulation was able to predict the overall trend of the CO2 adsorption on dolomite and limestone. However, a kinetic model was also applied to achieve a more accurate analysis. The results show good agreement between the modeling and the experimental data obtained using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). A shift in the reaction mechanism was observed with respect to temperature. The experimental data and kinetic model illustrated that the maximum conversion occurred at 650 °C.