On degradation of chemical solvents for bulk removal of CO2

Abstract

Chemical solvent degradation during bulk removal of CO₂ has been studied for aqueous solutions of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and triethanolamine (TEA) promoted by piperazine (PIP) and morpholine (MOR), and for 40% aqueous solutions of diethanolamine (DEA). These solvents are either used commercially or have good commercial potential. Physical properties of the degraded solutions were measured. The study has been extended to determine the foaming characteristics of the solutions. The effectiveness of granular and powdered activated carbon in suppressing foaming was studied. The data generated by using accelerated degradation tests are of considerable interest to process engineers in the gas treating industry.