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Carbon Dioxide Capture Emulsions Enable High-Rate Absorption in a High-Capacity Tertiary Amine

delete2026-03-27
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PRE
AI
S
Sepehr Saber
M
Mohammad Zargartalebi *
D
David Sinton *
DOI:10.1021/acsaem.5c03865delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Alkanolamine-based carbon capture solvents face a fundamental compromise: widely used primary and secondary alkanolamines such as monoethanolamine absorb CO2 rapidly but are stoichiometrically limited by carbamate formation, whereas tertiary alkanolamines such as N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) offer higher capacity but slow absorption rates. We present a CO2 capture fluid architecture that overcomes this compromise for MDEA by removing its mass-transfer limitation. We encapsulate the aqueous MDEA solution in droplets within a continuous CO2 carrier phase and render the emulsion stable with surface-active silica nanoparticles. The resulting triphase fluid achieved interfacial area-to-volume ratios on the order of 106 m2/m3, enabling a 6-fold enhancement in absorption rate. This enhancement persisted under industrially relevant conditions, including dilute CO2 streams (14%) and wet gas exposure. The emulsion maintained stable absorption capacity over 10 successive cycles and demonstrated no foam formation during operation. This approach is also compatible with alternative low-volatility carrier fluids (decane, dodecane). Emulsification preserves the high capacity of MDEA while circumventing the absorption rate limitation that has hindered their application in carbon capture to date.
Keywords:
Absorption
Emulsions
Inorganic carbon compounds
Nanoparticles
Oxides
CO2 capture
tertiary amine solvents
Pickering emulsions
liquid membrane systems
enhanced capture rate
techno-economic analysis

Journal

ACS Applied Energy Materials cover
ACS Applied Energy Materials
IF:
5.5
Papers:
1.1W
Citations:
4.5W

Organization

U
university of toronto
Scholars:
14.5W
Papers: 11.9W
Citations: 165