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Carbon Dioxide Scrubber

Emissions Control

A carbon dioxide scrubber is a piece of equipment that removes carbon dioxide from a stream of circulating gas, using a mechanism that depends on the scrubber own type. Amine based scrubbers use a cold organic amine solution that chemically binds carbon dioxide and releases it again when heated, mineral or zeolite scrubbers react a material such as quicklime with carbon dioxide to form a carbonate that can later be decomposed by heat to release the gas, lithium hydroxide scrubbers react with carbon dioxide to form lithium carbonate and are commonly used aboard spacecraft, and activated carbon scrubbers work by adsorption, letting carbon dioxide stick to a bed of carbon that can then be regenerated. Carbon dioxide scrubbers are used to treat exhaust gases from industrial facilities, to remove carbon dioxide from exhaled air aboard spacecraft, submarines and diving rebreathers, to manage controlled atmosphere storage, and as part of carbon capture and storage systems, and they range from disposable, non regenerable canisters to reusable models that are regenerated by heating or other means. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Maturity
TRL 9: Actual System Proven in Operational Environment 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Carbon dioxide scrubber
  • Technology maturity, entity description
    Amine based scrubbers use a cold organic amine solution that chemically binds carbon dioxide and releases it again when heated, mineral or zeolite scrubbers react a material such as quicklime with carbon dioxide to form a carbonate that can later be decomposed by heat to release the gas, lithium hydroxide scrubbers react with carbon dioxide to form lithium carbonate and are commonly used aboard spacecraft, and activated carbon scrubbers work by adsorption, letting carbon dioxide stick to a bed of carbon that can then be regenerated.
  • In Group: Carbon Capture, Lead
    A carbon dioxide scrubber is a piece of equipment that absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2).
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