Behavior of CaO/CuO Based Composite in a Combined Calcium and Copper Chemical Looping Process

Abstract

Integration of chemical looping combustion into calcium looping is an attractive approach to solving the problem of energy requirement for the regeneration of CaO-based sorbent. In this work, the behavior of MgO supported CaO/CuO composite in the new combined process (CaCuCL) was investigated. The composite was prepared via a simple wet mixing method and measured via a thermogravimetric analyzer for its chemical performance. It appears that the component of Cu/CuO has a significant influence on the cyclic performance of CaO, which is probably caused by the “wrapping” of Cu/CuO outside, due to its low melting point. However, this negative effect can be greatly reduced by using appropriate operating conditions in the successive reactions. When tested for 68 cycles, all synthetic sorbents showed good reactivity and stability of the Cu/CuO component, although loss-in-capacity of CaO was stilled observed