Invention:
This technology is a calcination apparatus and method powered by focused sunlight, optimized to enable the direct air capture (DAC) and calcination of carbon dioxide. The apparatus consists of a heating chamber with a rotating dish to evenly distribute and process a batch of solid reactant particles. Then, focused sunlight is directed into the chamber and is converted into heat while further shaking of the dish facilitates a faster transfer of heat throughout the full depth of the particle bed. When calcination is complete, the dish stops rotating and the particles flow downwards through a hole at the bottom of the disk. This approach minimizes mechanical and sintering damage, allowing reactant particles to be cycled multiple times through carbon capture and subsequent calcination. This approach is highly efficient and inexpensive and could significantly reduce the costs associated with DAC and carbon dioxide burial.
Background:
There is a significant excess of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere which could continue to heat the planet even if all fossil fuel burning was stopped. In order to combat climate change, it’s necessary to reduce this excess. This technology aims to enable the direct air capture of carbon dioxide by offering a solar powered calcination technique to process the particles once captured as calcium carbonate.
Solar calcination by direct focusing has been achieved but approaches so far mirror those used in traditional calcination as used in cement manufacturing, where a continuous flow of particles is heated by fossil fuel. The intermittency and variable intensity of direct sunlight leads to inefficiencies in this approach. This new method and device for CO2 calcination and capture achieves much higher efficiency than traditional methods in an environmentally friendly approach.
Applications:
- Direct air capture of CO2
- Climate resilience
Advantages:
- High efficiency
- Uniform heat distribution
- Less expensive
- Minimized mechanical and sintering damage
- Supports sustainability and climate resilience initiatives
