Evaluation of the kinetics of direct aqueous mineral carbonation of wood combustion ash using modified shrinking core models.

The direct aqueous mineral carbonation of wood combustion ash (WCA), which is a representative high-calcium waste from combustion process, was systematically investigated by varying complex operating conditions, including reaction time, liquid-to-solid ratio (L/S), CO concentration, and particle size. The WCA exhibited high CO sequestration characteristics with an optimal carbonation efficiency of 76.4%, corresponding to a CO sequestration capacity of 0.314 g CO/g WCA. In addition to solid carbonates, dry residues from liquid products with high potassium contents are potential feedstocks for quality potash fertilizer. Modified shrinking core models based on diffusion-controlled mechanism were proposed to evaluate the carbonation process. The theoretical framework assumes a contracting interface mechanism where active CaO reacts with CO to form a product layer. The effective diffusion coefficient of CO through the product layer decreases over time, giving deficient carbonation efficiency. The newly proposed models corresponding to different geometrical dimensions provided more perfect fit to the experimental data when compared with the most commonly used kinetic equations. The low apparent activation energy of the carbonation reaction demonstrated the diffusion-controlled mechanism. This work is useful for improving the economics and feasibility of bioenergy carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology chain.