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Evaluation of enhanced absorption of carbon dioxide using carbonic anhydrase in aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol

Fonck, Ferdinand ; Karlsson, Hanna K. LU ; Antonopoulou, Io and Svensson, Helena LU orcid (2025) In Cleaner Engineering and Technology 25.
Abstract

The use of carbonic anhydrase (CA) as a catalyst for bicarbonate formation in amine solutions has shown the potential to increase the absorption rate of CO2, thus potentially reducing capital cost of a CO2 capture plant, as the size of equipment can be reduced. On another approach, it could replace part of the amine to offer lower environmental impact. In this work, the catalytic effect of CA on the absorption properties of aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) was evaluated. The CA (DvCA8.0) used is an engineered variant that is more thermostable and tolerant of high pH-values. As a first step, a stability comparison between ultrastable DvCA8.0 and benchmarking commercial Bovine Carbonic Anhydrase... (More)

The use of carbonic anhydrase (CA) as a catalyst for bicarbonate formation in amine solutions has shown the potential to increase the absorption rate of CO2, thus potentially reducing capital cost of a CO2 capture plant, as the size of equipment can be reduced. On another approach, it could replace part of the amine to offer lower environmental impact. In this work, the catalytic effect of CA on the absorption properties of aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) was evaluated. The CA (DvCA8.0) used is an engineered variant that is more thermostable and tolerant of high pH-values. As a first step, a stability comparison between ultrastable DvCA8.0 and benchmarking commercial Bovine Carbonic Anhydrase (BCA) showed that DvCA8.0 could withstand higher concentrations of AMP at tested conditions and presents an activation in AMP concentrations up to 2.0 M AMP. Addition of DvCA8.0 increased the initial absorption rate of an aqueous 1.05 M AMP solution by 103%in a continuous flow reactor. Detailed equilibrium studies at different temperatures showed that CA had an effect in the CO2 absorption rate even at very low concentrations (0.565 μg CA/mL), while not affecting the solubility or heat of absorption of CO2 in the solution. The results highlight the significance of CA as a green and sustainable promoter in post-combustion CO2 capture. We showcase, for the first time, the application of an ultrastable CA as promoter of sterically hindered amines demonstrating the exciting potential of using ultrastable biocatalysts for enhancing the CO2 absorption rate under industrially relevant conditions.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Absorption rate, Carbonic anhydrase, CO absorption, Heat of absorption, Solubility
in
Cleaner Engineering and Technology
volume
25
article number
100918
pages
10 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85219011071
ISSN
2666-7908
DOI
10.1016/j.clet.2025.100918
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors
id
c80b9339-31a7-4d43-b4bd-bea0573f30d3
date added to LUP
2025-03-14 08:34:43
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:49:06
@article{c80b9339-31a7-4d43-b4bd-bea0573f30d3,
  abstract     = {{<p>The use of carbonic anhydrase (CA) as a catalyst for bicarbonate formation in amine solutions has shown the potential to increase the absorption rate of CO<sub>2</sub>, thus potentially reducing capital cost of a CO<sub>2</sub> capture plant, as the size of equipment can be reduced. On another approach, it could replace part of the amine to offer lower environmental impact. In this work, the catalytic effect of CA on the absorption properties of aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) was evaluated. The CA (DvCA8.0) used is an engineered variant that is more thermostable and tolerant of high pH-values. As a first step, a stability comparison between ultrastable DvCA8.0 and benchmarking commercial Bovine Carbonic Anhydrase (BCA) showed that DvCA8.0 could withstand higher concentrations of AMP at tested conditions and presents an activation in AMP concentrations up to 2.0 M AMP. Addition of DvCA8.0 increased the initial absorption rate of an aqueous 1.05 M AMP solution by 103%in a continuous flow reactor. Detailed equilibrium studies at different temperatures showed that CA had an effect in the CO<sub>2</sub> absorption rate even at very low concentrations (0.565 μg CA/mL), while not affecting the solubility or heat of absorption of CO<sub>2</sub> in the solution. The results highlight the significance of CA as a green and sustainable promoter in post-combustion CO<sub>2</sub> capture. We showcase, for the first time, the application of an ultrastable CA as promoter of sterically hindered amines demonstrating the exciting potential of using ultrastable biocatalysts for enhancing the CO<sub>2</sub> absorption rate under industrially relevant conditions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Fonck, Ferdinand and Karlsson, Hanna K. and Antonopoulou, Io and Svensson, Helena}},
  issn         = {{2666-7908}},
  keywords     = {{Absorption rate; Carbonic anhydrase; CO absorption; Heat of absorption; Solubility}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Cleaner Engineering and Technology}},
  title        = {{Evaluation of enhanced absorption of carbon dioxide using carbonic anhydrase in aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2025.100918}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.clet.2025.100918}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}