Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of three membrane carbon capture processes catalized by free and immobilized enzymes

Details

Supervisors

Luis Alconero, Patricia

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil en mathématiques appliquées, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

In the context of global warming, several technologies are being developed to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Among them, carbon capture and storage/utilisation (CCUS) are seen as key methods to help achieve this goal in the coming years. There has been growing interest in the use of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) due to its catalytic properties in CO2 capture via absorption, particularly when used in conjunction with benign environmental solvents. Recent research is investigating the preparation of membranes with immobilized enzyme (enzymatic membranes) for CO2 capture by gas-liquid membrane contactors, in order to counter the disadvantages associated with the use of the enzyme dissolved in solvent (free in solvent). However, the environmental impacts of these immobilization methods are still unknown. The aim of this work is first to assess the environmental impacts of two different immobilization methods, in order to identify which elements require particular attention. Following that, recommendations are made based on those observations. Secondly, those environmental impacts are put into perspective by considering them in the context of CO2 absorption. More specifically, the impacts related to capture processes involving these two enzymatic membranes are compared to that of another method using the enzyme free in solvent, by the use of a life cycle assessment (LCA). The results of the model show that capturing CO2 using immobilized enzymes can potentially rival the use of free enzyme, provided that absorption performance remains sufficient over extended periods.