Innovative sorbents for the sorbent enhanced water-gas shift process (iSEWGS)

The Sorption Enhanced Water-Gas Shift (SEWGS) process has a potential to be an economic viable process for hydrogen production with CO₂ capture, i.e. a pre-combustion process. The process utilizes a material (a sorbent) that captures CO₂ in-situ in the reaction zone during conversion of syngas resulting in an enhanced formation of hydrogen according to Le'Chatelier's principle. At present, the performance of the process is strongly linked to the sorbent's properties and improved versions are therefore strongly desired.

The primary objective of this project is to find sorbents for the SEWGS process that have significantly improved performance as compared to state-of-art.

Secondary objectives in this project are:
- Synthesis of modified Mg-Al-CO3 clays with likely M(II) and M(III) substituents and 2-3 different, anticipated effective promotors
- Using active feedback between materials synthesis, modelling, in-situ studies and performance testing
- Clarifying role of promoter during decomposition and reconstruction
- Clarifying roles of thermodynamics versus kinetics for the phase conversion reactions
- Screen the long term performance of the sorbents at relevant conditions
- Based on experimental sorption data, model full scale SEWGS process using the sorbent and benchscale process against other technologies
- Educate one post doc
- Publish at least 8 papers in international peer review scientific journals

The biggest R&D challenge appears to be to achieve significant better performance than reference/state-of-the art materials.

Main achievements so far:
-Synthesis and establishment of reference materials
-Synthesis of new materials/modified hydrotalcites that appears to be at least as good as references
-Development of synthesis protocols for various Dawsonite-materials in response to findings by
iSEWGS partners
-Development of an in-house analysis/screening method had been developed based on
thermogravimetric analysis. To be presented at GHGT-13
-The post doc at UiO has establish in-situ XRD methodology at UiO and worked at the synchrotron in Grenoble
-The high through-put test rig at SINTEF has applied at relevant conditions in multicycle experiments
-DRIFTS and NMR methods have been applied to understand the promotor.