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Absorption of Carbon Dioxide from air into Water

Conference Paper · February 2023

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 Absorption of Carbon Dioxide from air into Water
Mervat.A.Ahmed[1], Marwa Diab
Email: mervat.sirag@gmail.com , mrwadiab@yahoo.com
Chemical Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology, Khartoum,
Sudan

Abstract:
Gas absorption is operation in which soluble components of a gas mixture are
dissolved in a liquid phase[2]. The inverse operation, called stripping or desorption, is
employed when it is desired to transfer volatile component from a liquid mixture into a
gas phase. Both absorption and desorption process, common to distillation, make use
of special equipment for bringing gas and liquid phases into intimate contact.[1]

The separate of CO2 from air one of the most difficult process so by using water as a
solvent to absorb CO2 from air-CO2 mixture was tested on this work,

The gas absorption column unit below mean to demonstrate the absorption of carbon
zAxand the packing’s serve to provide the contacting and development of interfacial
surface through which mass transfer take place.

Among the experimental of absorption of CO2 into water have been demonstrate,
calculate the rate of absorption of CO2 , also determine the saturation point of CO2 in
water and time of reach saturation.

Key words:

Packed column, CO2 absorption, saturation point

1. Introduction:
The removal of one or more selected components from a mixture of gases by
absorption into a suitable liquid is the second major operation of chemical engineering
that is based on interphase mass transfer controlled largely by rates of diffusion[3] The
gas-liquid absorption process may be treated as a physical process; the chemical
reaction doesn’t hold considerable effect.

In absorption, usually the gas is fed at the bottom of the column, and the solvent is fed
at the top. The solvent and absorbed gas leave at the bottom, and the unabsorbed
components leave as gas from the top[4]. The essential difference between distillation and
absorption is that in the former the vapor has to be produced in each stage by partial
vaporization of the liquid at its boiling point, whereas in absorption the liquid is well below
its boiling point[6] . In distillation there is a diffusion of molecules in both. directions, so that
for an ideal system equimolecular counter diffusion takes place, though in absorption gas
molecules are diffusing into the liquid, with negligible transfer in the reverse direction, in
general,

The main goals in this experimental work is to demonstrate the absorption of CO 2 into
water using a packed column, calculate the rate of absorption of CO2 , determine the
saturation composition of CO2 in water and study the effect of gas flow rate, gas inlet
composition on the rate of absorption.

2. Experimental work:
2.1.Chemicals:
- air
-CO2
- Distilled water
- Sodium hydroxide for titration

2.2 gas absorption column unit (model: BP 50-80G) componenrs:

-water tank (B1)

Capacity= 50 L
Material: stainless steel

- circulation pump:
Amp= 5.0 Amps
Volts: 24 volts D.C
Material: polypropylene (pp)
Max flow rate : 11 L/min

- absorption column:
Packed column filled with Raschig rings
Packing: 10mm glass Raschig rings
Diameter: 80mm
Effective height: 1.5 m
Material: borosilicate glass and stainless steel
2.3- instrument and control:

tag description range

pressure Dp1-201 Column K1 pressure drop 0-500 mmH2O
Flow rate FT-101 CO2 flow rate 2-20 L/min
FT-102 Air flow rate 20-200 L/min
FT-103 Water flow rate 1-10 L/min
Level LS-01 Sump tank B1 level switch -

2.4 experimental procedure:

1- perform the general start up procedure for the absorption unit.

2- switch on circulation pump

3- introduce air and CO2 mixtures into the absorption unit.

4- record the intial CO2 concentration in the tank B1 as the feed composition value.

5-introduce liquid into the absorption column.

6-at regular interval of 5 minutes, collect a sample from the out let liquid of the
absorption unit . Analyses the collected sample by using titration with sodium hydroxide
with molarity 0.05 to determine the concentration of dissolved CO2 in water.

7- continue to record data and collect liquid sample until the CO2 composition in tank
B1 reach steady value.

2.5 calculation:

variable range
Air flow rate 40L/min
CO2 flow rate 4-8 L/min
Inlet gas 9-16 vol%
composition
Liquid flow rate 4 L/min

2.6 experimental condition:

CO2 achieves equilibrium in water with H2CO3, carbonic acid

CO2(g) + H2O(l) = H2CO3(l)[5]

In the following calculation, assume 1 mol of NaOH neutralize 1 mol of H2CO3, and
hence every 1 mol of NaOH utilize in the titration process is stand for the present of 1
mol of CO2 in the water sample

Concentration of NaOH for titration: 0.05 M

Data set 1: 9% CO2 in gas feed:

CO2 feed rate: 4LPM

Air feed rate: 40 LPM
H2O feed rate: 4LPM
Data set 2: 16% CO2 in gas feed:

CO2 feed rate: 4LPM

Air feed rate: 40 LPM
H2O feed rate: 4LPM

3. Results:
Table 3.1 experimental result for CO2 absorption:

Time Vol of NaOH for Vol of NaOH for

titration(mL) titration(mL)
9% 16%
0 0.4 0.5
5 2.8 7.3
10 3.55 7.95
15 4.8 8.5
20 5.0 9.85
25 5.8 9.0
30 5.1 9.0
35 5.5 9.0
40 5.3 9.0
45 5.4 9.0
50 5.4 9.0
Table 3.2 concentration of CO2 in feed tank B1:

Time Concentration of CO2 in Concentration of CO2 in

feed tank (mole/L) feed tank (mole/L)
9% 16%
0 0.0002 0.00025
5 0.0014 0.00365
10 0.0017 0.00398
15 0.0024 0.00425
20 0.0025 0.00493
25 0.0029 0.0045
30 0.00255 0.0045
35 0.00278 0.0045
40 0.00265 0.0045
45 0.00270 0.0045
50 0.00270 0.0045

Figure 3.1 : concentration of CO2 in feed tank versus time for absorption of CO2 in
water

Concentration of co2 in water vs time

0.006
y = -7E-09x4 + 9E-07x3 - 4E-05x2 + 0.0007x + 0.0005
0.005 R² = 0.9516
concentration of co2(mol/L)

0.004

9% CO2
0.003
16%

0.002 Poly. (9% CO2)

Poly. (16%)
y = -4E-10x4 + 1E-07x3 - 8E-06x2 + 0.0002x + 0.0002
0.001 R² = 0.9756

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (min)
 4. Discussion and conclusion:
From figure 3.1 For 9% concentration of co2 the relation between time and
concentration can be expressed by
4 3 2
y = -4E-10x + 1E-07x - 8E-06x + 0.0002x + 0.0002
R² = 0.9756
and for 16% of CO2 concentration :

4 3 2
y = -7E-09x + 9E-07x - 4E-05x + 0.0007x + 0.0005
R² = 0.9516
where y= concentration of CO2

x= time

The result above show that the ability of water to absorbed CO2 specially in high
concentration, in flow rate of air= 40 LPM and water flow = 4LPM; in case of the 9%
CO2 concentration saturation point in water=0.0027 mol/L and time to reach= 45 min ,
but for 16% concentration saturation point= 0.0045 mol/L and time to reach= 25 min

References:

[1] Kulkarni S. J., “Diffusivity: a review on

research and studies with insight into affecting parameters”, International Journal of
Science & Healthcare Research, 2016, 1(4), 9-14..

[2] Sunil Jayant Kulkarni, “Summary of Investigations on Mass Transfer Coefficients

with Emphasis on Inter phase Mass Transfer”, International Journal of Ethics in
Engineering & Management Education, 2016, 3(8), 10-13.

[3] Christian, H. E. Nielsen., Søren Kill, Henrik W. et al. Chem Eng Sci, 53 (3), (1998)
:495-503.

[4] www.science/article/pii/direct. Last visited March/2022

[5] http:// www.armfield.co.uk last visit April 2022

[6] McCabe,W. L., Smith J. C., and Harriott, P., Unit Operations of Chemical
Engineering, 6th Ed, McGraw Hill Company, New York, 2020.

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