Gas Treatment Technologies
Gas Treatment Technologies
Nrgtek Inc. has developed several technologies for treatment of natural gas, bio-gas (from landfills and anaerobic digesters), and flue gases, with multiple US patents granted.
CO2 absorption capacity measurements
Carbon Dioxide Removal
New polymers have been synthesized and tested for increased capacity of CO2 absorption. These branched polymers have higher capacity than traditional alkanolamines (MEA, DEA and MDEA), can be used at higher concentrations, and consume less energy for regeneration as compared to traditional alkanolamines. In addition, these polymers have comparable viscosity, much lower vapor pressures, higher thermal stability and higher boiling points, thus lowering both CAPEX and OPEX for carbon dioxide scrubbing. These technologies can also be used for other acid gas removal, like hydrogen sulfide, organic sulfides and sulfur dioxide.
Moisture Removal from Wet Gases
Especially applicable to the natural gas industry and the refinery sector, this patented technology, also developed under a previous California Energy Commission subcontract, uses thermolytic polymers to strip moisture from wet gases with very high efficiency, and much lower energy consumption during regeneration, as compared to conventional processes using Pressure Swing Absorption, Temperature Swing Absorption, cryogenics or liquid dessicants (TEG, DEG, MEG and/or TREG).
US patents for the above technologies include:
US 9,782,719
US 9,956,522
US 8,821,731
US 9,272,243
US 8,871,009
Emission Control Systems
Under a recently completed project, Nrgtek Inc developed an electrochemical system for scrubbing nitrogen oxides from flue gas emissions. US patent 10,773,204.
NOx removal efficiency measurements
NOx removal
In this electrochemical process, either liquid or solid absorbents are used for absorbing nitric oxides. Laboratory testing has shown removal of NOx from an initial level of 200-400 ppm down to less than 1 ppm (non-detectable). The capacity of these sorbents was found to be very high, and the sorbents are regenerated electrochemically using an electrolysis cell, wherein the absorbed NOx is converted to nitrogen and oxygen gases. Typically, the developed process for liquid solvents is recommended for treatment of flue gases after post-combustion desulfurization. The process is much cheaper than selective catalytic reduction (SCRs), which need ammonia injection (or urea hydrolysis). Solid sorbents can be used for NOx reduction of automobile diesel exhausts, or smaller power-plant exhausts, and are also conveniently regenerated electrochemically offline with low power consumption, as a removable plugged-in NOx filter.
Carbon Monoxide Removal
A similar electrochemical process is used for removal of excess CO from synthesis gas streams (after methanation or liquid hydrocarbon production), with the only waste product being carbon dioxide, appropriately sequestered. Incidentally, hydrogen is produced during the regeneration of the solvent, which can be streamed back to the methanation reactor for additional production of bio-methane.