Modeling and Simulation of Chemical Absorption Methods for CO₂ Separation from Cement Plant Flue Gases

Abstract

Climate change, especially global warming, is observed due to greenhouse gases released on an industrial scale. For this reason, progress is being made around the world to reduce CO2 emissions and transition to sustainable energy sources. One of the most mature methods of capturing CO2 from flue gases in industrial sectors is chemical absorption. This work analyzed the absorption process involved in capturing CO2 from the flue gases of a 1 Mt cement plant. The Aspen Plus modeling package was used to simulate the flue gas pre-treatment; absorption column; and regeneration unit. As a result of the modeling, the optimal values of column sizes; heat duty; and solvent make-up that require the least capital and operational costs for capturing CO2 in the flue gases of this plant were determined. When a 40% MEA solution was used, and the CO2 loading in the absorption-stripping process was 0.25 mol/mol, the reboiler heat duty was 4.06 MJ/kg CO2.

Keywords

• climate change
• absorption
• modeling
• heat duty
• flue gas
• CO₂ capture