Postcombustion CO₂Capture: A Comparative Techno-Economic Assessment of Three Technologies Using a Solvent, an Adsorbent, and a Membrane

This work compares three postcombustion CO2 capture processes based on mature technologies for separation, namely, (i) absorption using an aqueous piperazine solution, (ii) adsorption Zeolite 13X in conventional fixed beds (either vacuum swing or temperature adsorption), and (iii) multistage membrane separation a polymeric material (with CO2/N2 selectivity of 50 permeability 1700 GPU). All plants are assumed to be retrofitted generic industrial CO2-emitting source with 12% v/v 95% relative humidity at the inlet pressure 30 °C 1.3 bar, respectively) deliver 96% purity. In cases membranes, flue gas is dried before feeding it unit. first step, (i.e., components design parameters) optimized their technical performance, defined through process exergy requirement plant productivity; exergy–productivity Pareto fronts computed varying recovery rates. Second, economic performance assessed cost analysis. Estimates costs provided each as function size rate. The comparative assessment shows that, although adsorption- membrane-based analyzed may become competitive small scale below sizes 100 tons processed per day) low rates ca. 40%), absorption-based considered most cost-effective option