Carbon sequestration methods and systems
Methods of sequestering carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are provided. Aspects of the methods include contacting a CO 2 containing gaseous stream with an aqueous medium under conditions sufficient to produce a bicarbonate rich product. The resultant bicarbonate rich product (or a component thereof) is then combined with a cation source under conditions sufficient to produce a solid carbonate composition and product CO 2 gas, followed by injection of the product CO 2 gas into a subsurface geological location to sequester CO 2 . Also provided are systems configured for carrying out the methods.
1. A method of removing a non-CO 2 pollutant from a multicomponent gaseous stream comprising CO 2 , the method comprising:
contacting the multi-component gaseous stream with an aqueous medium under conditions sufficient to produce a bicarbonate rich product; and
subjecting the bicarbonate rich product to carbonate precipitation conditions to remove a non-CO 2 pollutant from the multicomponent gaseous stream.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-CO 2 pollutant is selected from the group consisting of NO x , SO x , VOC, heavy metals, particulate matter, and combinations thereof.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the aqueous medium is a bicarbonate buffered aqueous medium.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the bicarbonate buffered aqueous medium has a pH ranging from 8 to 10.
5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the bicarbonate rich product comprises droplets of a liquid condensed phase (LCP) in a bulk liquid.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the concentration of bicarbonate anions in the LCP droplets is 10,000 ppm or higher.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the molar ratio of bicarbonate to carbonate anion in the LCP droplets is 10 or greater to 1.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the multi-component gaseous stream is contacted with the aqueous medium in the presence of an LCP promoter.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein subjecting the bicarbonate rich product to carbonate precipitation conditions comprises combining the bicarbonate rich product or a component thereof with a cation source comprised of a source of divalent cations to produce a solid carbonate composition.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the divalent cations are alkaline earth metal cations.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the divalent alkaline earth metal cations are selected from the group consisting of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ , and combinations thereof.
12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the solid carbonate composition is produced without the use of an alkalinity source.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein subjecting the bicarbonate rich product to carbonate precipitation conditions comprises producing a product CO 2 gas, and the method further comprises injecting the product CO 2 gas into a subterranean location.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the subterranean location is a fossil fuel reservoir.
15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the subterranean location is a saline reservoir.
16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the subterranean location is a deep ocean location.
17. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises producing a commodity from the solid carbonate composition.
18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the commodity is a building material.
19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the building material is an aggregate.
20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multi-component gaseous stream is obtained from an industrial plant.
21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the multi-component gaseous stream is a flue gas.