Carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources such as power plants pose a significant problem for environmental health. The goal of this research was to develop an absorbent material that is effective, efficient, and sustainable in capturing carbon dioxide gas. Absorption testing was conducted at CO2 concentrations of 10%, 30%, and 50% by volume, using various amounts of microalgal amino acid salt solution (MAASS) embedded in porous gel. The increased surface area of the gel enhanced CO2 absorption as larger volumes of MAASS were used, improving the absorption capacity compared to previous absorbent materials. Material analysis indicated that porous gel selectively absorbs amino acids from the MAASS, further increasing CO2 absorption capacity compared to using liquid MAASS alone.To optimize absorption conditions for flue gas from a power plant, the objectives were to maximize the absorption rate and equilibrium absorption volume while minimizing MAASS usage and CO2 content in the absorption environment. Multi-objective optimization results indicated that CO2 absorption from flue gas using 8-13 or 20-23 mL of MAASS in the porous gel achieved optimal absorption rate and absorption volume. Initial testing of a column-based system under these conditions demonstrated an absorption capacity of 2.24 mol CO2/mol amine, which is a 75% higher capacity than using liquid MAASS alone. Further development of this system is needed to enable the design of industrial-scale absorption columns that can capture carbon emissions from sources such as power plants before they are released into the atmosphere.
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