Fundamental analysis of carbon dioxide absorption from biogas in rotating packed beds

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Jens-Uwe Repke
• Subject Area: Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 544949629

This project is devoted to fundamental investigation of a rotating packed bed process of biogas enrichment via selective absorption of carbon dioxide. It will be carried out in a trilateral cooperation between a Polish (Lodz University of Technology), Czech (Brno University of Technology) and German (Technical University of Berlin) research institutions. The cooperation will result in a team of experts, specialized in various aspects of rotating packed bed technology, required for successful realization of this venture. With the use of a varied, international team, a combination of experimental work (hydrodynamics and mass transfer), visual studies, numerical simulation, and rate-based modeling will be used to provide deep insight into the investigated process. The final goal of the project is to provide comprehensive understanding of the biogas enrichment through rotating packed bed absorption process. Additionally, new type of self-distributing RPB packing will be developed, and the potential solvents will be screened in terms of physical and chemical properties. Fundamental investigation of such a process is a multifaceted task, which requires many inputs, such as finding a proper solvent, development of a proper packing, investigation of the process under varying conditions and equipment configurations, hydrodynamic and mass transfer modeling, and finally, model validation. Therefore, to investigate the process on a fundamental level, several major goals have been set for this project: - Screening of reactive absorption systems for a solvent suitable for rotating packed bed CO2 separation process, particularly biogas enrichment - Investigation of triply periodic minimal surface structures for self-distributing RPB packings - Investigation of packing-cavity ratio’s influence on the RPB absorption system - Development of a hydrodynamic model describing phase dispersion in triply periodic minimal surface packings and in the outer cavity zone of an RPB apparatus - Development of a predictive non-equilibrium model describing biogas enrichment process in a rotating packed bed apparatus - Experimental investigation of rotating packed bed biogas enrichment process and model validation

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Czech Republic, Poland
• Partner Organisation: Czech Science Foundation
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Andrzej Franciszek Górak; Professor Dr. Miroslav Jícha