CO2 CAPTURE FROM THE FLUE-GAS OF CONVENTIONAL FOSSIL-FUEL-FIRED POWER-PLANTS

Research has been conducted at Argonne National Laboratory to identify and evaluate the advantages and deficiencies of several technologies, both commercially available and alternative technologies, for capturi ng CO2 from the flue gas of utility boilers that use air as an oxidant (the current universal practice). The technologies include chemical s olvent, cryogenic, membrane, physical absorption, and physical adsorpt ion methods. In general, technologies for capturing CO2 are expensive and energy-intensive. Therefore, they result in a substantial overall increase in the cost of power generation. Research to improve the perf ormance and economics of these technologies is discussed.