Integrated chemical process

1. A process for converting carbon dioxide into solid material, which process comprises the steps of:

direct thermal activation of magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock by combustion of fuel to produce an activated feedstock;

separation from the activated feedstock of metal oxides at least substantially excluding magnesium oxide and magnesium silicate to produce a residual activated feedstock;

before said separation step, suspension of the activated feedstock in a solvent to form a slurry of activated feedstock or, after said separation step, suspension of the residual activated feedstock in a solvent to form a slurry of residual activated feedstock; and

contacting the slurry of residual activated feedstock with carbon dioxide to convert the carbon dioxide into magnesium carbonate.

2. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock is mostly comprised of serpentine or talc.

3. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the metal oxides separated from the activated feedstock comprise oxides of one or more of iron, silicon, aluminium, manganese, chromium, nickel, titanium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and sodium.

4. A process according to claim 1 , wherein direct thermal activation of the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock occurs by application of the heat released by combustion of hydrocarbonaceous fuel in a furnace, kiln, fluidised bed furnace or similar combustion chamber or heating vessel.

5. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock is pre-heated prior to direct thermal activation by application of the heat released by combustion of fuel using heat liberated from the reaction of carbon dioxide with the activated feedstock and/or low grade or waste heat drawn from an associated carbonaceous or hydrocarbonaceous fuel combustion, gasification, reforming or electricity generation process and/or heat drawn from cooling the products from a fuel-fired heating vessel and/or heat drawn from cooling carbon dioxide after compression.

6. A process according to claim 1 , wherein direct thermal activation of the feedstock takes place by raising and maintaining the temperature of said feedstock to a temperature of at least about 580° C.

7. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock is heated in a series of heat exchangers and heating vessels in an essentially dry state such that the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock is transported through said series of heat exchangers and heating vessels without the addition of any liquid to said feedstock thereby decreasing the thermal requirements for the heating process.

8. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock is heated in a heating vessel that is designed to rotate and/or agitate the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock during heating thereof to assist in dehydroxylation and activation.

9. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock is heated in isolation from the combustion gases of the fuel via radiation, conduction or convection from the fuel combustion chamber in a suitably designed heating vessel.

10. A process according to claim 1 , wherein direct thermal activation of the magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock takes place in an oxygen-lean, hydrocarbonaceous fuel-comprising combustion mixture, such that the oxygen content of the combustion mixture is lower than the stoichiometric requirement for complete combustion of the carbon content of the hydrocarbonaceous fuel to carbon dioxide.

11. A process according to claim 1 , wherein water released by dehydroxylation reaction in the direct thermal activation step is recovered for re-use in the process in a condenser provided on an output gaseous stream from the said direct thermal activation step.

12. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the feedstock is subjected to comminution to reduce the feedstock average particle size to less than about 500 microns.

13. A process according to claim 12 , wherein the activated feedstock is mixed with an aqueous solvent and subjected to further comminution after the direct thermal activation step but before the separation step to achieve a particle size of less than 75 microns.

14. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the separation of the metal oxides at least substantially excluding magnesium oxide and magnesium silicate to produce a residual activated feedstock is achieved using a gravity or density separation process.

15. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the separation of the metal oxides at least substantially excluding magnesium oxide and magnesium silicate to produce a residual activated feedstock is achieved using a combination of density separation processes and magnetic and/or electrostatic separation processes.

16. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the activated feedstock is suspended in a weakly acidic aqueous or mixed aqueous and/or saline or other solvent miscible with carbon dioxide before contact with the carbon dioxide.

17. A process according to claim 16 , where the solvent is chosen from one or more of water, weak acids, salt solutions of weak acids, saline solutions, aqueous saline and sodium bicarbonate solutions, potassium bicarbonate solutions, mixed aqueous and alcohol solutions, mixed aqueous and glycol solutions, mixed aqueous and glycerol solutions.

18. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the carbon dioxide is in dilute streams or is drawn directly from the atmosphere.

19. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the carbon dioxide is contacted with the residual activated feedstock in a system of open vessels, fields, slurry dams, absorption towers, aerated stockpiles or heap leach arrangements containing the activated feedstock.

20. A process according claim 1 , wherein the residual activated feedstock is contacted with supercritical, liquefied or high-pressure gaseous carbon dioxide to substantially convert the carbon dioxide to magnesium carbonate.

21. A process according to claim 20 , where the carbon dioxide and residual activated feedstock are contacted in a reaction vessel that is designed to provide highly turbulent or rapidly dispersive or attritive conditions to rapidly and substantially convert the carbon dioxide to magnesium carbonate.

22. A process according to claim 21 , where the reaction vessel is provided with a recycle stream which circulates and returns unreacted feedstock, solvent and other reagents to the carbonation reaction vessel.

23. A process according the claim 22 , where the recycle stream incorporates a further separation stage that substantially separates silica and magnesium carbonate from substantially unreacted feedstock to return said substantially unreacted feedstock to the reactor.

24. A process according to claim 23 , where the separation stage utilises gravity or density separation.

25. A process according to claim 1 , where energy recovered from a cooling operation is employed to drive pumps or compressors for compression of the carbon dioxide.