CO2 Solution in License and Development Agreement with B&W for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Conversion Process
18 March 2007
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| The CO2 Solution reactor and process. Click to enlarge. |
CO2 Solution Inc., developers of a technology and process that converts carbon dioxide to bicarbonate ions, has signed a license option and technology development agreement with Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) to further the development of its process.
More specifically, B&W will purchase an exclusive option to license and to market, in North America, the technology developed by CO2 Solution for coal combustion based electricity generating plant applications.
B&W is making an initial payment of US$500,000, and will make a second payment of $500,000 following the attainment of certain pre-determined milestones. Furthermore, as part of the agreement, B&W will take on the expenses involved in adapting CO2 Solution’s technology for a pilot project at a coal fired plant, which was announced last October.
The agreement also foresees that in light of the results obtained, the two companies may undertake negotiations for a license grant.
We are continually looking for innovative solutions to help our clients address the diverse challenges they face, particularly with respect to the capture of carbon dioxide from power plants. CO2 Solution’s enzyme-based technology is a promising direction in this field, where expectations are growing.
—Don Langley, B&W’s Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer
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| The positioning of the equipment. Click to enlarge. |
The CO2 Solution process takes place inside a bioreactor with the help of an enzyme—carbonic anhydrase, obtained with genetic engineering—that accelerates the transformation of CO2 into bicarbonate ions in an aqueous environment. The bicarbonate ions can then be used in other processes. The reaction is as follows:
CO2 + H2O ←→ H+ + HCO3-
To date, CO2 Solution has been granted 12 patents in various countries and regions, including Canada, the United States and Europe, and it also has 21 patents pending. These patents and patent applications deal with various fields of innovation, including enzymes and enzyme attachment, as well as the technology’s processes, equipment and sectors of application.
The company is also exploring algae-based solutions for carbon dioxide capture and conversion.
(A hat-tip to Harvey!)
Resources:
CO2 Solution presentation
Algae are becoming popular. The March issue of Biodiesel Magazine has an algae feature.
Posted by: Cervus | 18 March 2007 at 04:41 PM
The presentation doesn't clarify how this is fundamentally different from the age old method of bubbling through lime water. The problem being that it essentially requires a form of offsite cement production (calcining)to produce a CO2 absorbent with no net advantage. One of the disposal options is calcium carbonate (ie synthetic limestone) but doesn't say where the calcium comes from.
On a positive note this probably won't have the odour problem of the chilled ammonia process described recently in GCC.
Posted by: Aussie | 18 March 2007 at 06:54 PM
The presentation doesn't clarify how this is fundamentally different from the age old method of bubbling through lime water.
The water doesn't appear to contain lime, or even be at elevated pH.
I imagine it could work this way: the water coming out of the reactor has a CO2 vapor pressure equal to the partial pressure of CO2 in the incoming flue gas. This water could be diverted into a second reactor or set of reactors (also with the catalyst) which would be kept at low pressure, so CO2 would be evolved back into the gas phase, but now largely separated from the other gases.
Posted by: Paul Dietz | 19 March 2007 at 08:51 AM