Carbon dioxide absorbent

1. A carbon dioxide absorbent formulation comprising from about 70 to 90 wt. % hydrated lime essentially free of potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide; from about 0.1 to 17 wt. % lithium hydroxide or its precursor or a combination thereof; and from about 5 to 25 wt. % water.

2. The absorbent of claim 1 , wherein the lithium hydroxide precursor is selected from the group consisting of lithium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide monohydrate, lithium chloride, lithium chloride hydrate, lithium carbonate, and lithium silicate and a combination thereof.

3. The absorbent of claim 2 , further comprising a hardening agent from about 0.1 to 10.0 wt. %.

4. The absorbent of claim 3 , wherein the hardening agent is selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium sulfate, and lithium silicate, and a combination thereof.

5. The absorbent of claim 1 , wherein the absorbent also contains an alkali halide or an alkaline earth halide from about 0.1 to 5.0 wt. %.

6. The absorbent of claim 1 , which contains from about 0.1 to 5.0 wt. % calcium chloride.

7. The absorbent of claim 2 , which contains from about 0.5 to 5.0 wt. % glycerol.

8. The absorbent of claim 1 , wherein the lithium hydroxide precursor is lithium hydroxide and/or lithium chloride from about 0.1 to 17 wt. % and the absorbent contains calcium chloride from about 0.1 to 5.0 wt. %.

9. A method of making a carbon dioxide absorbent comprising mixing from about 70 to 90 wt. % hydrated lime, based on the dried absorbent, essentially free of potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide; and from about 0.1 to 17 wt. % lithium hydroxide or its precursor or any combination thereof, based on the dried absorbent, in an aqueous suspension or solution, to form a paste, and drying the paste to form the absorbent, wherein the final moisture content of the absorbent is from about 5 to 25 wt. % water.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein indicating dyes, hardening agents, processing agents, and humectants arc added to the absorbent before drying.

11. A method of absorbing carbon dioxide in anesthesia gas comprising contacting the anesthesia gas containing carbon dioxide with a carbon dioxide absorbent formulation comprising from about 70 to 90 wt. % hydrated lime essentially free of potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide; from about 0.1 to 17 wt. % lithium hydroxide or its precursor or a combination thereof; and from about 5 to 25 wt. % water, to remove carbon dioxide from the anesthesia gas.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the anesthesia agent is selected from the group consisting of sevoflurane, desflurane, isoflurane, halothane, and enflurane and a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the lithium hydroxide precursor comprises at least one selected from the group comprising lithium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide monohydrate, lithium chloride, lithium chloride hydrate, lithium carbonate, and lithium silicate, and a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the absorbent contains at least one hardening agent selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium sulfate, and lithium silicate.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the absorbent contains from about 0.1 to 5.0 wt. % of an alkali halide or an alkaline earth halide or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the absorbent contains from about 0.1 to 5.0 wt. % calcium chloride.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the absorbent contains from about 0.5 to 5.0 wt. % glycerol.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the lithium hydroxide precursor is lithium hydroxide and/or lithium chloride from about 0.1 to 17 wt. %, and the absorbent contains calcium chloride from about 0.1 to 5.0 wt. %.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the absorbent contains from 0.1 to 3.0 wt. % of indicator dye.