Industrial combustion processes emit flue gases which contain up to 15% carbon dioxide (CO2) and contribute to Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Capturing CO2 from flue gas before it is released to the atmosphere is an important strategy to support Canada’s decarbonization commitments. However, these relatively dilute CO2 sources are not as economically viable as capture from high purity CO2 streams and large final emitters. A means of incentivizing such carbon capture is to use flue gas within CO2-dependent processes that yield value-added materials, which may then be monetized to offset the cost of capture.
Our areas of focus
Flue gas is being used, in lieu of pure CO2, as a feedstock within a modified process that purifies lithium carbonate and simultaneously captures CO2. By exploiting CO2’s relatively high solubility in an aqueous alkaline solution, flue gas CO2 may be separated from other gaseous components while lithium carbonate is separated from ionic impurities of differing water solubility. The CO2-free flue gas exhaust may then be released to the atmosphere with a reduced carbon footprint. The CO2 that is captured from the flue gas may then be utilized as a feedstock for other industrial processes.
Contact information
For information about our team, research, or to work with us, please contact:
James Brydie PhD. P.Geo., Director - Upstream and Environment
james.brydie@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
(587) 337 2536