Carbon capture and storage process by carbonic anhydrase for treatment of flue gases

The huge emission of greenhouse gases from fossil-fuelled power plants is emphasizing the need for efficient carbon capture and storage technologies. Most of the post-combustion treatments aimed at Carbon Capture and Storage purposes are based on multi-phase flow devices. The potential of the biomimetic approach for the CO2 absorption in aqueous solutions has been reviewed. In particular, critical issues related with the use of carbonic anhydrase (CA) as a catalyst have been presented and discussed. The relevance of CA immobilization option on the effectiveness of the biomimetic post-combustion process has been reported in terms of guide lines for biocatalyst design. The comprehensive description of such open issue has been supplied with the design of a packing absorption unit operating with dissolved CA. Theoretical results have been compared with those retrieved from literature concerning a pilot plant operating with amines mixture. A sensitivity analysis with reference to the CA concentration and its deactivation rate has been reported.