Carbon dioxide scrubber

It is used to treat exhaust gases from industrial plants or from exhaled air in life support systems such as rebreathers or in spacecraft, submersible craft or airtight chambers.

The primary application for CO2 scrubbing is for removal of CO2 from the exhaust of coal- and gas-fired power plants and from the enclosed atmosphere of nuclear submarines.

With some modifications to the existing processes (mainly changing to an oxygen-fired kiln[citation needed]) the resulting exhaust becomes a concentrated stream of CO2, ready for storage or use in fuels.

Anesthesia machines which provide life support and inhaled agents during surgery typically employ a closed circuit necessitating the removal of carbon dioxide exhaled by the patient.

The net reaction being: Lithium peroxide can also be used as it absorbs more CO2 per unit weight with the added advantage of releasing oxygen.

[8] This material offers considerable performance advantages although it requires high temperatures for the formation of carbonate to take place.

Regenerable systems allowed a shuttle mission a longer stay in space without having to replenish its sorbent canisters.

The metal-oxide sorbent canister was regenerated by pumping air at approximately 200 °C (392 °F) through it at a standard flow rate of 3.5 L/s (7.4 cu ft/min) for 10 hours.

[15] In one set of tests MOFs were able to separate 90% of the CO2 from the flue gas stream using a vacuum pressure swing process.

[16] An extend air cartridge (EAC) is a make or type of pre-loaded one-use absorbent canister that can be fitted into a recipient cavity in a suitably-designed rebreather.