Linking adsorbent development to industrial carbon capture: A process-based screening framework for multi-scenario CO2 adsorption
Journal
Carbon Capture Science and Technology
Journal Volume
19
Start Page
100628
ISSN
27726568
Date Issued
2026-06
Author(s)
Abstract
Despite the rapid development of carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorbents, their industrial adoption remains hindered by the limited translation of laboratory data into process-level performance indicators. Although adsorption isotherms provide essential inputs for process-performance prediction, conventional isotherm-based assessments often overlook humidity-induced effects, for which water (H2O) co-adsorption and dehydration penalties remain difficult to quantify. To bridge these gaps, this study establishes a 0-D equilibrium screening framework that integrates equilibrium adsorption–desorption data and thermodynamic parameters to estimate process-level performance, using specific CO2 emission (SCE) as the primary metric across three key carbon capture scenarios: post-combustion capture (PCC), direct air capture (DAC), and natural gas purification (NGP). For PCC and DAC, both of which are subject to pronounced competitive H2O adsorption, our analyses show that pre-dehydration contributes only 3–8% of the total carbon footprint in PCC, suggesting that adsorbent screening and development should prioritize dry-gas capture efficiency. In contrast, for DAC, the carbon footprint of pre-dehydration is 16–120 times greater than that of the dry CO2 removal process. Consequently, moisture robustness must be regarded as a non-negotiable criterion for the development of DAC adsorbents. For the NGP scenario, results show that CH4 recovery is strictly dictated by vacuum requirements, with the SCE escalating sharply once CO2 working capacity drops below 50%. Accordingly, maintaining a high CO2 working capacity and a high CO2-to-CH4 working capacity ratio (WCR) is essential for achieving high CH4 purity with low SCE. Overall, this work highlights the need for scenario-specific adsorbent design and offers guidance for the rational development of adsorbents for practical CO2 capture.
Subjects
Adsorption
Direct air capture
Natural gas purification
Net avoided CO2
Post combustion capture
Screening
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Type
journal article