Thermodynamic and Kinetic Analysis of Ca-Based Oxygen Carrier in Chemical-Looping Combustion

Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) is a promising technology to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) inherently and conveniently without the additional apparatus. At present, for some metal oxide oxygen carriers, the high costs and the positive hazards to the environment inhibit the developing of CLC systems. The feasibility of using CaSO4 oxygen carrier in the CLC system is studied in this paper. Through the thermodynamic analysis, the carbon deposition and the sulfur evolution are studied in the reaction between CaSO4 and a typical syngas. In addition, providing that hydrogen (H2) is fed as the gaseous fuel in the CLC system, the kinetic analysis is investigated on the reduction of CaSO4 by H2 and the oxidation of calcium sulfide (CaS) by oxygen (O2) through the thermo-gravimetric apparatus (TGA). The kinetic models are built on the reduction and the oxidation of the oxygen carrier. The results calculated from the models agree well with the experimental data. Finally, the possible reaction mechanisms for the reduction and the oxidation are explored.