This work reports the results achieved by the optimization of the CAP applied to cement plants for CO2 capture. A set of operating environments typical for the cement industry in Europe has served as the basis for the CAP optimization. The primary energy consumption per unit of avoided CO2 emissions has been applied as the objective function. The design of the absorption columns of the CAP has been performed taking into account the results of the pilot plant tests carried out at GE facilities in Växjö (Sweden) for cement plant-like flue gas conditions, and the CAP simulations have been adapted accordingly to implement and reproduce the experimental findings of the pilot tests. The CAP performance is assessed, providing the required input for the integration of the CAP with the cement plant. Mass and heat balances for each optimized case are shown, providing stream tables and the equipment energy consumptions. The sets of operating conditions minimizing the energy consumption of the capture process for each case are in agreement with the differences in the assumed environment. The resulting trends for the optimized energy consumption are in line with the theoretical expectation that higher CO2 concentrations in the flue gas enable a lower energy penalty for CO2 capture. Consequently, the results confirm the CAP’s potential for highly efficient CO2 capture from cement plants.

This work was supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number 15.0160