Energy-efficient acid gas removal process for carbon capture
This technology is an improved system for scrubbing carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other acid gases out of industrial exhaust streams — the kind produced by power plants, refineries, and chemical facilities. It works by running the exhaust through a liquid sorbent that absorbs the acid gases, then heating that liquid to release and capture the gases so the sorbent can be reused. The clever part is the arrangement of heat exchangers and heat pumps that recycle thermal energy within the process itself, significantly cutting the steam and cooling water needed to run it. The result is a carbon capture system that costs less to operate than conventional amine scrubbing setups.
What you could build
A licensed process design or engineered system for energy-efficient acid gas removal, sold or licensed to power utilities, industrial gas processors, and EPC firms building carbon capture retrofits at fossil fuel plants or refineries.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based utilities like Dominion Energy, or defense and federal contractors operating large combustion facilities, would have direct interest in cost-reducing carbon capture compliance solutions.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Stuart J. Higgins, Yih-An Liu, Yueying Yu
- Granted
- August 25, 2020
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 10751664
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.