Kinetics of the Carbonation Reaction of Lithium Orthosilicate Using a Typical CO2 Concentration of Combustion Gases

The aim of this work was to investigate the carbonation kinetics of lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) by thermogravimetry and via thermodynamic simulations, using CO2 concentrations of 15 vol.% (typical of combustion gases) and 100 vol.%. Tests were performed in a thermogravimetric analyzer, in two sequential steps: (1) pre-treatment at 750 ºC with N2 and (2) thermal analysis, non-isothermal (at 10 ºC min-1 up to 1000 ºC) or isothermal (at 550 ºC, 600 ºC and 650 ºC). According to the non-isothermal results, the carbonation of Li4SiO4 occurs in the range of 450-746 ºC and the decarbonation above it. Also, it was possible to capture up to 24.9 wt.%CO2. The isothermal kinetics showed that an increase in temperature promotes an increase in the reaction rate. Yet, the adsorption capacity is limited by the thermodynamics at higher temperatures and the kinetics is slow at low CO2 concentrations.