CO2 revalorization as carbonate salts using membrane distillation-crystallization: technical, environmental and economic evaluation by Marie-Charlotte SPARENBERG

For the degree of Doctor of Engineering Sciences and Technology

Rapid and far-reaching mitigation strategies will be an essential part of a coherent climate change response policy. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) namely encourages the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies in order to reduce the global anthropomorphic CO2 emissions and meet the Paris Agreement objectives. In this context, research and innovation constantly seeks to improve the current techniques and develop novel promising alternatives.

This work explores a new CO2 capture and revalorization process that leads to the production of (bi-)carbonate crystals, using membrane technologies. The working principle is the following: first, the CO2 contained in industrial post-combustion flue gases is absorbed in an alkaline solvent via a membrane contactor. Then, the carbonate compound in aqueous phase is recovered using membrane distillation-crystallization, producing high-quality crystals that can finally be revalorized in the chemical industry. This thesis attempts to understand and optimize the membrane distillation-crystallization step from a technical, economic and environmental point of view. Osmotic, direct contact and vacuum membrane distillation are discussed and compared. A life cycle assessment of the overall process is performed in order to determine its environmental pertinence.

Jury members :

• Prof. Patricia Luis Alconero (UCLouvain, Belgium), supervisor
• Prof. Renaud Ronsse (UCLouvain, Belgium), chairperson
• Prof.  Tom Leyssens (UCLouvain, Belgium)
• Dr. Denis Roizard (Université Lorraine, France)
• Prof. Anne-Lise Hantson (UMons, Belgium)
• Prof. Angélique Léonard (Université de Liège, Belgium)

Link of the videoconference