Flue Gas Applications
The Calera process has been proven to be robust and is not very sensative to flue gas carbon dioxide composition. Other carbon capture technologies require pre-scrubbing of sulfur dioxide to very low levels prior to capture of carbon dioxide. In contrast, MAP actually removes sulfur dioxide compounds and other air pollutants using the same basic absorption and conversion techniques as used for carbon dioxide. Calera has conducted multi-pollutant testing with the process operated on flue gas from a wide variety of coals in the pilot scale plant. These studies have shown that MAP removes most trace metal emissions to non-detect levels using U.S. EPA reference methods; captures mercury with high removal efficiency and incorporates the mercury into the carbonate matrix in a nonleachable form, and captures high levels of acid gas by absorption. All trace elements assayed in the supernatant water are below water discharge limits (U.S.: NPDES). Our pollutants are incorporated into the minerals we form and the testing performed demonstrate non-detectable levels of these pollutants are available, which meets EPA standards using standard EPA tests. This robustness allows a broad range of flue gas sources to be used as the source of CO2 including fossil fired boilers and turbines, cement kilns, as well as other industrial combustion units.