Poster's note - this isn't a GE use case, but the tech may still be interesting for air-capture fans.
http://www.rdmag.com/Awards/Rd-100-Awards/2012/08/Cleaner-Reliable-CO2-Scrubbing/ One of the biggest challenges for engineers of naval submarines is guaranteeing a supply of oxygen for the sailors. Existing carbon dioxide scrubbing techniques use a liquid monoethanol amine (MEA) solution. A 50-year-old technology, MEA systems are bulky, heavy, corrosive, malodorous, and short lived. The emergence of functional self-assembled nanoporous materials has opened the door to a cleaner, more efficient, and more reliable method for scrubbing carbon dioxide. The Advanced Carbon Dioxide Removal Unit (ACRU), an invention of researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., and Steward Advanced Materials, Chattanooga, Tenn., employs an amine-functionalized granular version of self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports (SAMMS) technology, which is noted for its ability to form strong chemical bonds with targeted materials. Based on technology to remove heavy metals from waste streams, the highly porous silica substrate maximizes the density of chemically active sites, allowing facile diffusion through the domains of the sorbent material. The SAMMS sorbent can capture carbon dioxde directly from the atmosphere and then release it controllably and on demand when a modest amount of heat and/or vacuum is applied. These characteristics give the ACRU extended lifespan, functionality free of hazardous byproducts or volatile organic compounds, and rapid sorption kinetics not compromised by the diffusion limitations that hinder competing technologies. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en.
