INFLUENCE OF SO2 AND NOx IMPURITIES ON CO2 HYDRATE CHARCTERISTICS

It is well known that rising CO₂ emission, resulting from fossil fuel consumption, plays a major role in global warming due to the greenhouse effect. Therefore, various concepts for underground CO₂ storage, such as disposal into deep coal seams, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, saline formations and ocean, are examined. Also, the subsurface CO₂ deposition through hydrate formation is discussed as a novel possibility to decrease the anthropogenic CO₂ output over geological periods. The storage site can either accumulate new hydrate formations or reconstitute exhausted methane hydrate layer.
SO₂ and NOx are constituents in a large number of industrial emissions and, despite much effort to remove them, still in traces contained in the flue gas. The impact of impure CO₂ on hydrate formation, stability and rate of substitution for methane in the hydrate is the focus of this work.
In a pilot study, experiments on laboratory scale are performed. Using synthetic hydrates from pure CO₂ and CO₂ contaminated with 1% SO₂ or NOx, investigations of hydrate growth, composition, structure, stability and dissociation enthalpy are performed. Thereto, techniques from microscopic observations, laser Raman spectroscopy to powder XRD and DSC analyses are used. The gained information on hydrate characteristics and possible differences between pure and contaminated hydrates can be applied in the context of sequestration practices.

 

• Contact: 

Dr. Bettina Beeskow-Strauch
Dr. Judith Schicks