Capture and Sequestration of CO₂from Iron and Steelmaking

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Objective: The objective of the project is to determine the optimum conditions for capturing and sequestering the maximum amount of CO2 produced by iron and steel production.

Justification: Government regulations on CO2 emissions from ironmaking and steelmaking are inevitable in the near future. It is therefore necessary to develop methods for capturing and permanently sequestering carbon dioxide in an effective, economical way so that these regulations can be met.

The sequestration methods must meet the following requirements:
1. The CO2 must be scrubbed from the plant exhaust gases with high efficiency and low cost.
2. The scrubbing agents used must be readily available in the quantities needed for the industry.
3. The CO2 must be sequestered into forms that will not be released into the atmosphere at a later date. The investigators have already identified potential scrubbing agents that will greatly facilitate the capture of CO2, and its subsequent transformation into stable minerals. This will utilize existing materials, of which an estimated 8 billion tons are produced every year. Use of these materials will make it possible to sequester carbon dioxide without causing environmental harm due to mining of new minerals, or development of new disposal sites.

Description of Proposed Work: The Investigators will carry out experiments with the potential scrubbing agents to determine the optimum conditions for capturing the maximum amount of CO2 at a minimum cost, study the conversion of the CO2 into a stable from that can be sequestered, and examine the properties of the stabilized CO2 to determine its potential for profitable utilization in high-volume industries (such as construction) while preventing the CO2 from being re-released into the atmosphere.

GRADUATE STUDENT: Brett Spigarelli