AN ECOTECHNOLOGY-INTEGRATED MEA PROCESS FOR CO2-REMOVAL

One of major complications, expected in the scale-up of operation of a MEA process, in which 2-aminoethanol is used as a chemical absorbent, is an increase in gallons: of waste amine solution disposed from recl aimer bottoms by degradation. This study was designed to evaluate the use of biodegradation by pure cultures of Escherichia coli K12 for tha t treatment. The results obtained indicate that this microorganism eff ectively cleaves waste 2-aminoethanol to ammonium ion and acetaldehyde , assimilates ammonium ion as a nitrogen source and transforms acetald ehyde to acetic acid. The biodegradation activity was positively affec ted by the presence of impurities in waste 2-aminoethanol solution. An experiment with chemostat resulted a degradation rate of 1.64g/(dm(3) . h),which is suggestive of a good possibility of an integration of t his ecotechnology to the MEA process.