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Measurement and Testing CO2 RECYCLING
Removing CO2 from the air is diffi cult. Achieving this with an effi cient benefi t– cost ratio is pioneering work. Carbyon has done precisely this with two test machines, making the production of renewable fuel a fi nancially attractive prospect. This process is measured and researched using three diff erent precision sensors by KELLER Pressure.
Series 33X high-precision pressure transmitter, © KELLER Pressure
© Bart van Overbeeke Fotografi e
Removing CO2 from the air in a practical and affordable way is diffi cult. But that’s not stopping Carbyon, the pioneering company based in Eindhoven. For one and a half years, they have been operating a machine that is capable of precisely that. This invention is based on the thin-fi lm principle for solar cells by Hans de Neve – semi-conductor physicist, founder and CEO of Carbyon. His interest in CO2 capture and the possibilities afforded by the thin fi lm used on solar cells that is only one atom thick led to the process that Carbyon is now testing with such success. Two Carbyon employees shed light on how CO2 is captured from the air, what prospects this process offers and how KELLER sensors play a key role.
Young research team from the Netherlands
Beatrix Bos is a project manager and impact creator; Luuk van Voorst is a mechanical engineer and is concerned with the physics behind the machine.
“I’m interested in what happens when we increase parameters like size, temperature and speed. I analyse the effects on (energy) consumption, and evaluate and model the results,” said Luuk about his role.
As a project manager, Beatrix is responsible for implementation, testing and validation, as well as for marketing and communications. “We use a large number of different pieces of software for transforming data into information. That’s why data validation is so important for good modelling.”
Beatrix Bos project manager Carbyon
«Capturing CO2 in the sorbent enables CO2 to be recycled, for example for the production of green paraffin.»
Promising prototype
One and a half years ago, after several years’ work with smaller test devices, work started with the machines where the process can realise its potential. In the laboratory, samples of various material compositions are measured on a small scale. The secret behind Carbyon’s process is in the chemical component used for its sorbent. This absorbs CO2 and releases it again in a controlled manner, enabling CO2 to be recycled, for example for the production of green paraffi n.
This machine is still just for testing, so that Carbyon can identify the best working conditions for the sorbent. The machine has been built in a modular fashion so that it can work with different temperatures, pressures, quantities and sorbents.
The invention as a whole is based on the research into solar cell materials at TNO (Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientifi c Research) mentioned in the introduction. The combination developed by Carbyon, the self-designed system and the exactly right ratio of sorbent provide a performance that no one else can currently match.
The valuable sorbent
The sorbent is an impressively simple material that is and will remain readily available. It is frequently used to absorb leaked chemicals, lubricants, paints, heating oil or solvents and thereby neutralise their toxic effects. After all, in Latin, the word “sorbere” means something along the lines of to “absorb”. Accordingly, sorbents are liquids or solids that are designed to absorb other substances.
Beatrix Bos and Luuk van Voorst beside the test device, © Bart van Overbeeke Fotografi e
The diffi culty lies in the porous carrier material, since applying a wafer-thin layer to it proved to be more complicated than to a fl at solar panel. This porous material is necessary as a large surface area is desirable in order to capture as much CO2 as possible. Activated charcoal is a suitable carrier, because one gram of
activated charcoal has a surface area of 3000 square metres. The reactive layer, which consists of amines or potassium carbonate, is applied to the charcoal using a variety of processes.
Atomic layer deposition is the most important of these processes and involves exposing the carrier material to a gas so that the gas atoms are deposited onto the carrier. This creates a layer just a single atom thick. There are other techniques that are already in development or even being used. However, these create a thicker absorption layer, which the CO2 must penetrate. This means the process takes more time and energy to work.
Carbyon is currently testing numerous options for heating the sorbent. The start-up sought out collaborations with various universities and institutions of higher education in the Netherlands and elsewhere for the individual parts of the process.
“We mainly spent the fi rst two to three years doing research, but now we’re testing the application and developing the machine. We might be described as a deep tech company, as a great deal of time needs to be invested before the technology is ready for the market. In the meantime, all kinds of new business models are springing up that may be able to further accelerate the process,” said Beatrix, beaming with pride.
From grams to kilograms
The transition from the test rig to the real machine saw a jump from measuring in grams to kilograms. The next machine will be a hundred times larger, calling for high-performance sensors from KELLER.
Luuk van Voorst with Girmi Schouten, data scientist, © Bart van Overbeeke Fotografi e
PIN OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2024
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