Multi-Scale Modeling and Study of Aerosol Growth in an Amine-based CO2 Capture Absorber

A monoethanolamine (MEA) aerosol growth model was developed to quantify the aerosol growth factor in an amine-based CO2 capture absorber that considers the gas-liquid interactions, and it is empirically validated by measuring the aerosol particle size and concentration. The aerosol growth model, using sucrose as the aerosol nuclei instead of sulfuric acid to prevent the corrosion of the test equipment, accurately predicted that the outlet aerosol size increased to the same level regardless of the sucrose concentration. It also found that particle concentration was the primary factor affecting aerosol growth and amine emissions. We found an inverse relationship between aerosol particle concentration and the aerosol size, while the MEA emissions were proportional to particle concentration.