The use of monoethanolamine and potassium glycinate solvents for CO2 delivery to microalgae through a polymeric membrane system

Abstract

We have previously shown that a combined system involving solvent absorption, membrane desorption and microalgal cultivation can provide an effective approach to carbon dioxide capture and utilisation (Energy Environ. Sci., 2016, 9, 1074). In this article, we evaluate aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA) and potassium glycinate (PG) for membrane desorption of CO2, and compare these with our previous work using potassium carbonate (K2CO3). Enhanced growth of Chlorella sp. was observed with 20 wt% PG at 0.5 CO2 loading (moles of CO2 absorbed per mol solvent) relative to a baseline control in which carbon dioxide was only available from atmospheric diffusion. Similar growth rates to the ..