Pilot testing of the indirectly heated carbonate looping process for CO2 capture from lime industry

The indirectly heated carbonate looping (IHCaL) process is a novel technology for capturing CO2 from the lime and cement industry. The IHCaL process uses lime as solid sorbent, which comprises synergies with lime and cement plants using same solid materials. Another major advantage of the IHCaL process is the high energetic efficiency. Previous pilot tests proved the feasibility of the IHCaL process for applications in the power plant sector. However, the integration of the IHCaL into cement and lime plants, as well as the usability of spent sorbents as educts in such productions, has not yet been tested. This study describes the design and operation of an existing 300 kWth pilot plant that is adapted for demonstrating the IHCaL process under industrially relevant conditions of lime plants. First results show that the fluidized bed reactor system can be operated under stable conditions and high CO2 capture rates can be achieved when the temperature and solid inventory in the carbonator are high enough.