Author(s)

Juliana Izidoro, Davi Castanho, Carlos Rossati, Denise Fungaro, Sabine Guilhen, Thiago Nogueira & Maria De Fátima Andrade

Abstract

High-purity zeolites A were synthesized from different coal combustion by-products (baghouse filter fly ash, cyclone filter ash, and bottom ash) and characterized in terms of morphology, chemical, and mineralogical composition. The products were tested for carbon dioxide capture by using a continuous CO₂  flow system passing through a column packed with the adsorbent material, which was connected to an analyser that directly measures the concentration of CO₂ The values of CO₂ adsorption capacities calculated for the unmodified Na-A zeolites (ZABF, ZACF, and ZABA) were 556.48, 494.29 and 654.82 mg g–1, respectively. These values were higher than those achieved by the calcium-modified zeolite samples. ZABA adsorbent presented the best performance in CO₂ capture when compared to the other adsorbent material and achieved an adsorption capacity 32% higher than a 4A commercial zeolite. In the adsorption cycles study, the percentage of CO₂ desorption by ZABA at the second and hird cycles reached 93%, showing that zeolite A can be regenerated by heating at 150 ºC. The use of coal ashes to obtain zeolites and the application of these products for the CO₂  adsorption can be an important strategy to mitigate both the problem of waste management and the greenhouse gases emission in coal-fired power plants.

Keywords

carbon dioxide capture, coal combustion by-products, zeolite A.