Effect of Fly Ash on the Mass Transfer Performance of CO2 Removal Using MEA and DEA Solutions in a Packed Tower

The accumulation of uncollected fly ash from flue gas in post-combustion CO2capture processes is a significant concern in current coal-fired power plants due to its potential impact on the performance of CO2absorbent and absorption towers. In order to determine the effect of fly ash on the mass transfer performance of CO2absorption into monoethanolamine (MEA) and diethanolamine (DEA) aqueous solutions, experimental studies were carried out using a small-sized packed tower equipped with θ-ring random packing. These studies were conducted under various operating parameters, including solution temperature, liquid/gas ratio (L/G), packing height, and fly ash concentration. The results show that the effect of fly ash on the outlet CO2concentration was primarily observed during the initial stages of the experimental process. Moreover, the presence of fly ash leads to a reduction in the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficient (KGav) when using MEA and DEA solution, and increasing the fly ash concentration further exacerbates this negative impact. However, the effect of fly ash on the reduction inKGavis not significantly related to its chemical composition but rather depends on the operational parameters. With increasing solution temperature, liquid/gas ratio (L/G), and packing height, theKGavvalues for different solutions exhibit an upward trend. The negative effect of fly ash onKGavremains relatively stable for MEA as solution temperature and packing height increase. Compared to MEA, fly ash has a greater negative effect on DEA solution under the same experimental conditions. The analysis reveals that the detrimental effect of fly ash onKGavprimarily stems from its ability to alter the distribution state of the absorption liquid within the packed tower.