Process simulation and analysis of carbon capture with an aqueous mixture of ionic liquid and monoethanolamine solvent

This study investigated the prospect of using aqueous mixture of 1-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate （[Bpy][BF4]） ionic liquid （IL） and monoethanolamine （MEA） as solvent in post-combustion CO2 capture （PCC） process. This is done by analysis of the process through modelling and simulation. In literature, reported PCC models with a mixture of IL and MEA solvent were developed using equilibrium-based mass transfer approach. In contrast, the model in this study is developed using rate-based mass transfer approach in Aspen Plus. From the results, the mixed aqueous solvent with 5-30 wt% IL and 30 wt% MEA showed 7%-9% and 12%-27% less specific regeneration energy and solvent circulation rate respectively compared to commonly used 30 wt% MEA solvent. It is concluded that the ｜L concentration （wt%） in the solvent blend have significant impact on specific regeneration energy and solvent circulation rate. This study is a starting point for further research on technical and economic analysis of PCC process with aqueous blend of IL and MEA as solvent.