Utilisation of microwave energy for CO₂ desorption in postcombustion carbon capture using solid sorbents

One of the most promising technologies for CO₂ capture is adsorption using solid sorbents, with the most important advantage being the energy penalty reduction during capture and regeneration of the material compared to liquid absorption. Nevertheless, the challenge in this application remains the same, namely to intensify the production of a high purity CO₂ stream in terms of adsorption/desorption rates and energy use while preserving the textural characteristics of the sorbents. Towards this target, a new adsorption system is proposed in this research, namely Microwave Swing Adsorption (MSA), which takes advantage of the different heating procedure that electromagnetic energy can provide. Results showed that microwaves are able to enhance the rate of CO₂ desorption from the sorbent, contributing to a four times faster overall desorption process, compared to conventional heating desorption. It was also proved that the solid sorbent's CO₂ adsorption capacity is also well preserved, without any significant reduction even after 20 adsorption/desorption cycles.