Absorbing Carbon Dioxide With Woven Wire Mesh

Carbon capture has gained considerable traction in recent years as the world comes together to combat carbon emissions. Over the years, the technology and materials used have been refined to promote efficient operation and ensure the carbon capture industry continues to move forward.

Woven wire mesh has stood out as a key to successful carbon capture operations. Its versatility touches several aspects of the process, including the retention of absorbent materials.

Which is often overlooked.

Knowing this, W.S. Tyler is dedicated to leveraging its 150 years of woven wire experience to help facilitate optimal carbon capture and create a cleaner, safer world.

With that, we wrote the following article highlighting the benefits of woven wire mesh to contain the absorbent materials you use to trap carbon dioxide. It will cover:

• The definition of carbon capture
• The definition of woven wire mesh
• How CO₂ is absorbed during the carbon capture process
• The challenges associated with absorbing CO₂
• How woven wire mesh benefits the absorption of CO₂

What Is Carbon Capture?

Carbon capture is a process that utilizes various technologies to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flue gasses emitted from sources like power and waste management plants. Methods like post-combustion, pre-combustion, and oxyfuel combustion capture reduce CO₂ levels in the atmosphere.

This works to aid worldwide efforts to combat climate change.

Once captured, the CO₂ is compressed and transported using specialized carbon capture pipelines to be stored. Storage sites can vary but are typically geological formations like depleted oil and gas wellbore and coal seams.

That said, captured CO₂ can also enhance oil recovery and chemical reduction.

What Is Woven Wire Mesh?

Woven wire mesh is a versatile screening material comprised of hundreds of metal wires interwoven to form uniform, grid-like patterns. A heavily monitored weaving process ensures that each weave has precise and rigid openings.

The material's ability to be customized to meet the application's exact needs has grown in popularity in carbon capture. You have complete control over parameters like weave pattern, mesh count, alloy, and wire diameter, ensuring peak performance.

In carbon capture applications, woven wire offers a unique level of strength, durability, and precision. This allows it to be applied to several steps of the capture process, including absorbent retention.

Absorbing Carbon Dioxide

When carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere, it is not pure carbon dioxide. Instead, it is found in flue gas containing other elements like nitrogen, water vapor, sulfur dioxide, etc.

Carbon capture processes often utilize some absorbent material in an absorbent column to extract carbon dioxide. The flue gas is brought into contact with the absorbent material, isolating the CO₂ and causing it to bond to the absorbent.

Popular Abosbent Materials:

• Monoethanolamine
• Methyl diethanolamine
• Zeolites
• Activated Carbon
• Selexol

The absorbent will eventually become saturated with captured CO₂, at which point it is taken to a regenerator or stripper to desorb the CO₂. This allows the CO₂ to be compressed and transferred to be stored or utilized.

Regenroted absorbents can be reused for future CO₂ capture.

The Issues With Absorbing CO₂

While the practice can be traced back to the 1930s, the technologies behind modern-day carbon capture are still relatively new. Naturally, issues can arise as the process is being perfected.

Inefficient absorption is one of the more common issues with the absorption of CO₂ from flue gas. This is typically caused when the gas and absorption material have an inadequate connection.

This, in turn, limits the surface area with which the CO₂ gas interacts.

Fouling from loose particulates is also a concern, as it can cause clogs in other areas of your equipment. Not only does this reduce the efficiency of your process, but it can lead to costly downtime.

Another fairly common issue with absorbing carbon dioxide is heat management. The absorption process is known to create high levels of heat, often leading to the absorber column overheating.

Higher operational temperatures can hinder operational efficiency and even cause the absorbent material to degrade.

Material loss is often overlooked but can prove costly. As the gas flows through the absorber column, loose absorbent material can leave the column and enter other aspects of your equipment.

The same concerns occur when working with solvents, which evaporate or degrade. In both scenarios, you are at risk of elevated replacement costs and potential downtime.

You must also be mindful of pressure drop within the absorber column. Elevated pressure drop results in increased energy consumption, making the process less economically favorable.

With the different gases and materials reacting with each other, corrosion can be prominent. Of course, if corrosion occurs unaddressed, you will see a reduction in equipment lifespan, increased downtime, and a spike in maintenance costs.

Lastly, issues can arise if the various gases and particulates in flue gas interact with the absorbent material. More specifically, the different elements reacting with the absorbent material negatively affect the purity of the absorbed.

How Woven Wire Mesh Benefits the Absorption of CO₂

As mentioned previously, woven wire mesh is versatile enough to accommodate several aspects of the carbon capture process, including resolving several of the common issues listed above.

For example, woven wire mesh can provide more structure to the absorber materials within the absorber column, increasing the surface areas with which the CO₂ interacts. This ultimately leads to improved capture rates.

Woven wire has also been known to reduce fouling. It serves as a filter media that removes particulates in the flue gas before interacting with the absorbent. The resulting effect is a more efficient process with minimized maintenance required.

The filtration capabilities of the material also help ensure the CO₂ you capture is purer.

Woven wire can be implemented as an efficient heat exchanger, as it can be constructed from various heat conductivity or resistant alloys. Effectively dispersing the heat throughout the absorber column will prolong the lifespan of the absorbent materials in use.

Its ability to be woven using various alloys also means you can use alloys that are highly resistant to various forms of corrosion. This will reduce costly downtime and help prolong the longevity of your equipment.

Read the article below to find out more about woven wire mesh as a heat exchanger in carbon capture applications:

• Woven Wire Mesh for Carbon Capture: Heat Exchangers

When it comes to retaining absorbent materials, the woven wire can serve in two different ways:

1. Leverage the same screening capacities that keep impurities out to keep absorbent materials in the absorber column.
2. Eliminate mist to retain solvent droplets that enter the stream of gas

By retaining your absorbent materials, you can minimize replacement costs significantly.

Classified as an open product, woven wire mesh facilitates gas flow rates. This helps minimize pressure drop while also increasing absorption efficiency without increasing operational expenses.

Keep Absorbents at Bay With the Right Mesh Count

Woven wire mesh offers a level of versatility unmatched by any other material in the carbon capture universe. Its durable, robust, yet open characteristics allow it to serve as the perfect medium for keeping absorbent materials contained in the absorber column.

To further advance your process with woven wire mesh, you must understand exactly why mesh count is so critical to the process. Understanding this parameter will allow you to craft a solution that presents the perfect balance between throughput and screening capabilities.

With over 150 years of experience in the wire weaving business, W.S. Tyler is here to share our knowledge within our four walls to help your carbon capture operation stand out.

Read the article below to learn more about how mesh count affects performance:

• Woven Wire Mesh Count: How To Achieve Peak Performance