SO2 Effect on Oxidative Degradation of Monoethanolamine for Post Combustion CO2 Capture

The most conventional amine used in the post combustion capture technology, based on chemical absorption, is monoethanolamine (MEA). Depending on the composition of the flue gas to be treated, several mechanisms of amine degradation occur. This leads to a loss of CO2 absorption capacity and may give rise to products that are environmentally difficult to dispose of. Results from CO2 capture pilot plants showed that oxidative egradation due to the presence of oxygen in the flue gas is the main degradation pathway. Furthermore, MEA degrades when exposed to a flue gas containing an amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2). The goal of this study is to identify the impact of the presence of SO2 on the oxidative degradation of MEA.