Process Integration of a Calcium-looping Process with a Cement Plant for Carbon Capture

The reversible adsorption of CO2 by CaO at high temperature is a promising method for capturing and removing CO2 from a hot gas stream. Various techniques have been proposed for implementing the carbonate looping method into a power plant. As the by-product of the carbonate looping process can be blended with clinkers, several methods are available and have been proposed such as the integration of cement plants and power plants. The spent CaO from the purge stream of a carbonate looping process utilized in a power plant is used in place of the limestone which is the main inlet component of a cement process. Therefore, both industries undergo reducing emissions. However, there is no operational link between these industries yet, and only part of CO2 can be reduced since the other source of CO2 by fuel combustion in the cement plant still exists. This project analyses a typical cement manufacturing process and investigates various configurations in which carbonate looping can be used to capture CO2 from all sources, as well as provide some/all of the CaO required. A variety of process models have been investigated in detail with respect to their technical feasibilities and energy consumption by developing full flowsheets in Unisim. The process simulation also includes integrated steam cycles and air separation units so that the overall energy consumption of the retrofit process can be evaluated. Both retrofit and new build cement plant designs are being looked at.

Calcium-Looping Process
Calcium-Looping Process