Analysis of dynamic CO2 capture over 13X zeolite monoliths in the presence of SOx, NOx and humidity

In this investigation, the CO2 capture performances of zeolite 13X monoliths with 600 and 800 cells per square inch (cpsi) in the presence of SO2/NO impurities under dry and humid conditions were evaluated and compared with that of 13X beads. Dynamic breakthrough tests demonstrated a drastic reduction in CO2 capture capacity and deterioration of kinetics under dry‐clean conditions, whereas, upon switching the feed from a clean gas to contaminated gas which contained SO2 and NO, different adsorption performance was observed. Specifically, in dry‐contaminated mode, the adsorbents retained their capture capacities with comparable kinetics to that of dry‐clean feed conditions, however, in humid‐contaminated mode, the adsorbents experienced improved CO2 uptake and CO2/N2 selectivity, albeit at the expense of deteriorated kinetics. These findings indicate that the presence of SO2 and NO contaminants, especially SO2 contaminants, lead to dramatic changes in the adsorption performance of zeolite 13X monoliths, indicating the importance of evaluating adsorbent materials under realistic conditions.