Effective CO₂ Capture from Biomass Flue Gas Using a DEA-Promoted Potassium Carbonate Absorbent in a Packed Column Reactor

This research investigates the effectiveness of a Diethanolamine (DEA) promoted potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) solution for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flue gas generated by the carbonization of coconut shells. The study aimed to evaluate the influence of absorption column packing height and absorbent flow rate on CO₂ removal efficiency. The absorption process was conducted in a counter-current packed column using a solution composed of 30% wt K₂CO₃ and 3% wt DEA. Key process variables included packing heights of 10, 20, 30, and 40 cm, and absorbent flow rates of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 L/m. The results demonstrated that the combined DEA and K₂CO₃ solution is highly effective, achieving a maximum CO₂ removal efficiency of 97.81% at a packing height of 40 cm and a flow rate of 1.5 L/m. Analysis of the absorbent solution revealed a corresponding decrease in carbonate (CO₃²⁻) concentration and an increase in bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) concentration, confirming the chemical absorption of CO₂. The process kinetics were found to align with a pseudo-second-order model. This study concludes that a packed column absorption system with a DEA-promoted K₂CO₃ solution presents an effective and viable method for mitigating CO₂ emissions from biomass processing.