Synthesis, optimization, and performance evaluation of supported ZSM-5 catalytic packing for carbon capture desorption

Reducing energy consumption in the desorption process of chemical absorption-based carbon capture is crucial for achieving efficient industrial-scale post-combustion carbon capture. Despite advancements in solvent improvement, catalyst application, and process optimization, there remains a significant gap between the energy consumption level and its theoretical limit. This study proposed an innovative surface treatment-seeding-hydrothermal synthesis method for loading ZSM-5 zeolite acidic catalysts onto the surface of industrial packing to enhance both the reaction kinetics and mass transfer during desorption, thereby reducing desorption energy consumption. The effectiveness of the loaded catalyst was verified in the temperature range of 86–106 °C, showing 7.84 %-37.25 % improvement in desorption amounts compared to commercial catalysts of equal volume. The optimal synthesis parameters for the loading process were investigated using various characterization techniques. It was observed that controlling the synthesis time and the number of layers to induce surface roughness, in conjunction with utilizing gels with a higher silica-to-alumina ratio, significantly enhanced the desorption performance of the supported catalytic packings based on the optimized parameters, supported catalytic packings prepared with industrial packings were tested in a simulated cyclic desorption tower. The results showed that, compared to the blank packing, desorption amounts increased by 24.30 %, 78.57 %, and 53.50 %, while relative energy consumption decreased by 19.66 %, 44.03 %, and 35.57 %, respectively.