A Finnish idea - carbon capture and neutralization

Cuycha Innovation Oy, a Finnish company, has developed a process for capturing CO2 from flue gas and neutralizing it by chemical reactions with natural minerals.

Carbon dioxide Capture and Neutralization (CCN) is a new prospect of how to remove CO2 from the atmosphere to reduce global warming. Briefly, the CO2 is washed from compressed or otherwise high content flue gas into a stream of water. The resulting acidic liquid would be neutralized with feldspars (a group of rock forming minerals abundant in the Earth's crust ). ‘In summary, our method offers a double opportunity: we can simultaneously convert acidic CO2 into harmless bicarbonates and utilize the enormous quantities of aluminum in silicate minerals. This can be done without expensive chemicals or crippling amounts of energy’ the company states in their technical brief. The first project is planned to take off in South Africa, where a consortium had been formed to build the firs CCN plant.

The CCN process begins with the capture of CO2 from flue gases by washing the latter with water. Next, the CO2 solution is passed into neutralization tank filled with crushed feldspar. From there the neutralized solution passes into settling tank, where the insoluble aluminum compounds settle. The bicarbonate solution can then exit the process or it can be recycled into the CO2 dissolution process. Besides alumina and quartz sand, other possible byproducts in the neutralization include lithium. The quite significant amount of water required in the process can be reduced by recycling a part of the bicarbonate solution formed back to the neutralization process. Besides alumina and quartz, other possible byproducts in the neutralization include lithium.

According to the company, the CN process produces two tons of bauxite per each ton of CO2. Bouxite can then be easily refined into aluminum oxide (alumina), quite a worthy product on the global market. ‘Combined with oxygen enrichment process, CCN can cut a power plant’s CO2-emissons nearly 100% (typically over 90%)’ says Ilkka Nurmia, CEO of Cuycha Innovation Oy in the article for Idea Connection.

Read more: http://www.carboncapturejournal.com/displaynews.php?NewsID=765