More than Carbon Capture: An Introduction to Chemical Looping Air Separation (CLAS)
The most attention-grabbing use case for chemical looping carbon capture is for power generation, but it is also the most challenging. Often overlooked is the fact that chemical looping could be slotted into current industries such as air separation, cement, silicon, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Fortunately, ParadOxy Particles’ proprietary material is compatible with all these processes.
For rapid deployment and commercialization, chemical looping air separation (CLAS) shows the greatest promise. CLAS process development is the low-hanging fruit of the chemical looping field, as it trims the complicated process down to only the essential reactions. In one reactor (air reactor), the OC contacts air, where oxygen binds to the particle. In the second reactor (oxygen reactor), a thermodynamic swing encourages the release of that oxygen for downstream use. This energetically favorable oxygen transport system mimics biological circulatory systems in that it grabs oxygen in one location (lungs), moves it with a metal oxide (hemoglobin in blood) and releases it for local use (cellular aerobic respiration). By focusing on air separation process development, the complex oxygen carrier-fuel interactions are greatly reduced, along with the risks involved in scaling up the technology.
A range of investigations at Cambridge University (1), North Carolina State (2), and others have shown industrial high-purity oxygen can be most effectively delivered with CLAS technology. Peer-reviewed studies predict far lower financial and energy cost of air separation for chemical looping compared with the leading mature technologies. In a 2018 modeling work comparing two novel carbon capture power generation systems, one with CLAS and one with the leading mature air separation technology, the former delivered high-purity O2 at a third of the energy cost of the mature cryogenic distillation air separation system (3).
Chemical Looping Air Separation (CLAS) could disrupt existing oxygen markets, a global market valued at approximately $30B.
Beyond long-term efforts at decarbonization, CLAS could disrupt existing oxygen markets. The latest figures show the global oxygen market is valued at approximately $30B. The most prominent consumers of bottled or on-site stored high-purity oxygen are healthcare and oil & gas. Additionally, on-site air separation units to deliver pure oxygen at scale is another multi-billion, growing market. Sectors such as advanced manufacturing, oil & gas processing, chemicals, and healthcare all require large volumes of oxygen. Lastly, Industrial processes like glass recycling processes need oxy-combustion to reach the required high temperatures to melt glass.
Advances in process engineering and chemical looping materials now make it possible to transition historically polluting industries to net carbon-neutral. CCS combustion systems take technically and economically proven technologies and modify them to meet the environmental needs of today. With both existing markets to disrupt and huge potential to meet decarbonization goals, chemical looping is ready for investment.
(1) Tagliaferri, C., Görke, R., Scott, S., Dennis, J., & Lettieri, P. (2018). Life cycle assessment of optimised chemical looping air separation systems for electricity production. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 131, 686-698. ISSN 0263-8762. DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2017.11.010
(2) Krzystowczyk, E., Haribal, V., Dou, J., & Li, F. (2021). Chemical Looping Air Separation Using a Perovskite-Based Oxygen Sorbent: System Design and Process Analysis. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 9(36), 12185-12195. DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c03612
(3) Cormos, C. C. (2018). Assessment of copper-based chemical looping air separation system for energy efficiency improvements of oxy-combustion and gasification power plants. Applied Thermal Engineering, 130, 120-126. ISSN 1359-4311. DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.10.162
