CO2 hydrate formation at atmospheric pressure using high efficiency absorbent and surfactants

CO2 hydrate slurry can be used in a lot of practical applications such as CO2 capture, CO2 storage-transportation and CO2 sequestration processes. However, CO2 hydrate slurry is generally formed at low temperature and high pressure. The objectives of this study are to develop new absorbents to form CO2 hydrate at atmospheric pressure, and to evaluate the effects of surfactants and additives on the formation rate and the induction time of CO2 hydrate. THF (Tetrahydrofuran) is used as a surfactant and SDS (Sodium dodecyl sulfate) and nano particles such as Al2O3 are used as the additives. It is found that the maximum CO2 hydrate formation rate is enhanced up to 3.74 times by adding 0.6 wt% of SDS and 0.2 wt% of Al2O3 nanoparticles compared to the formation rate without the surfactants. Finally, it is concluded that THF 10 wt% and SDS 0.6 wt% with Al2O3 0.2 wt% is the optimum condition for CO2 hydrate formation rate enhancement. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.