Further Assessment of Emerging CO2 Capture Technologies

Technical Report

1 September 2019

Ashleigh Cousins, Paul Feron, Jenny Hayward, Kaiqi Jiang, Rongrong Zhai

Citation: IEAGHG, "Further Assessment of Emerging CO2 Capture Technologies", 2019-09, September 2019.

Publication Overview

CSIRO was commissioned by IEAGHG to provide a comprehensive assessment of emerging CO₂ capture technologies for the power sector and their potential to reduce costs. The objectives of this technical study were:

to update the CO₂ capture benchmark technology and its enhancement over the 30w.t.% MEA-based chemical absorption
to review the CO₂ capture technologies, their current status and trajectory
to assess the potential of emerging CO₂ capture systems to reduce costs (LCOE) and identify risks and barriers for those on the path to TRL 9
to assess techno-economically a number of selected CO₂ capture technologies for coal and gas-fired power plants.

Publication Summary

In 2014, IEAGHG commissioned a study “Assessment of Emerging CO₂ capture technologies and their potential to reduce costs” [1] to assess the technical status, and the potential for cost reduction, of a series of emerging CO₂ capture technologies. The aim of this study is to update the CO₂ capture benchmark technology, to provide an update on the current status of these technologies by measuring their progress in terms of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and to perform the techno-economic assessment of selected CO₂ capture technologies for fossil-fired power plants.

Based on available commercial CO₂ capture systems, with enhanced performance, 30w.t.% MEA (Monoethanolamine) -based chemical absorption is no longer regarded as a representative benchmark CO₂ capture technology. A further aim of this study is the adoption of a new benchmark solution which can be used as a reference system in future assessments.

A PZ(Piperazine)+ AMP(2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol) solution (40w.t.%, 1:2 Molar ratio) is proposed as the new benchmark.

The new benchmark solution (PZ+AMP) shows a CO₂ avoidance cost reduction of 22% for coal-fired, and 15% for gas-fired power plants, compared to a 30w.t.% MEA-based system. The reboiler heat duty (heat energy to regenerate the solvent) of the new benchmark is similar to that of current commercial blends.

Chemical absorption is still leading the list of emerging CO₂ capture technologies as it has reached TRL 9 compared to the lower TRLs of other technologies.

This study has investigated the progress of several post-combustion systems and shown further technological development is possible. Moreover, oxyfuel turbines are expected to advance in the near future.

Front-end engineering design (FEED) research studies show that there is significant potential to reduce the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) in electrochemical separation (fuel-cells). An estimated 30% reduction in the LCOE has been predicted but this claim requires confirmation through large-scale demonstration projects.

Other capture systems with medium LCOE reduction potential (10%-30%) are based on chemical absorption with water-lean, precipitating or catalysed sorbents, membrane separation, PSA (pressure-swing adsorption), TSA (temperature-swing adsorption), calcium looping (Ca-looping), and cooling and liquefaction. Moreover, pressurized oxyfuel combustion, chemical-looping combustion and SEWGS (sorption-enhanced water-gas shift) are also expected to show some LCOE reduction (<10%).

The techno-economic review covered Ca-looping, membrane-system (MTR Polaris), Allam cycle, and chemical absorption (using 30w.t.%MEA and 40w.t.% PZ + AMP solution) for gas-fired power plants, and Ca-looping, membrane-system (MTR Polaris), solid sorbent-system (Veloxotherm), liquid-liquid separating system (DMX), and chemical absorption (using 30w.t.%MEA and 40w.t.% PZ+AMP) for coal-fired power plants. Coal-fired and gas-fired power plants without CO₂ capture systems were assessed for comparison.

The techno-economic assessment shows the impact of regional, financial and economic conditions on the LCOE obtained by the different CO₂ capture technologies applied to gas-fired and coal-fired power plants.

For coal-fired power plants, the new benchmark solution (40w.t.% PZ + AMP) shows the lowest LCOE, while the Allam cycle would be, economically, the most favourable option for gas-fired power plants. However, in both gas and coal-fired power plants the other CO₂ capture alternatives could be more favourable under specific financial and economic conditions.

The results from this techno-economic review have been based on information from research literature. Differences in cost-methodologies, including the assessment of contingencies, are explained in detail. Moreover, technologies at different TRLs have been compared which limits the level of confidence that can be placed on the results.

Based on the results from this study, it is recommended that the most promising technologies should be followed-up, and more detailed cost evaluation studies pursued, together with an evaluation of their extended value within electricity supply, grid distribution and broader decarbonisation goals.

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