Evaluation of Reclaimer Sludge Disposal from Post-combustion CO2 Capture

An important environmental issue for amine-based post-combustion CO2 capture is the generation of reclaimer sludge containing degradation products and impurities that must be disposed. This paper evaluated the environmental fate of reclaimer wastes generated from three amine-based solvents (monoethanolamine, piperazine, and a methyldiethanolamine/piperazine blend) used for CO2 capture at a pulverized coal and a natural-gas combined cycle power plant (900 and 810 MWe, respectively) with typical flue gas compositions. The solvent loss and impurities and degradation accumulation in the CO2 capture units were modeled. A techno-economic analysis of different reclaiming technologies was conducted. The reclaimer sludge was classified based on US and EU regulations for hazardous waste, and alternative options for reclaimer sludge disposal were evaluated.