Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Terms of Use

© 2024 Elizabeth Dentzer. All rights reserved. This work is freely available courtesy of the author. It may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Engineering Department

First Advisor

E. Carr Everbach

Abstract

This project explores the design and development of a small-scale CO2 capture device, aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from vehicle exhaust. The project harnesses a chemical reaction between calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to form solid calcium carbonate (CaCO3), a process known to naturally capture CO2. The efficiency of this reaction is enhanced by maintaining high humidity within the system from the exhaust gas, which accelerates carbonation and the formation of larger, more crystalline calcium carbonate particles. The design of the CO2 capture device revolves around a compact adsorption chamber where the CO2 reaction takes place. A small fan facilitates gas flow into the central chamber, ensuring thorough contact between the exhaust gases and the reactive material. The device is directly integrated with vehicle exhaust systems for real-time stationary carbon capture. The project's scalable nature allows for future adaptations, including mobile vehicle exhaust systems and potential applications in industrial settings, particularly at point source emission sites. After the device was completely filled with pure exhaust, with correction for leakage, the CO2 concentration of the exhaust gas was reduced from 13.68% to 1.77% over the course of 4 hours and 22 minutes. If this technology were scaled and CO2 concentrations in emission exhaust were reduced from 13.68% to 1.77% in all gasoline cars in the United States, this 87.06% reduction in CO2 emissions would account for a reduction of 1.13 billion metric tons of CO2 per year. This project represents an innovative step towards mitigating the environmental impact of vehicle emissions and contributes to the broader efforts in combating climate change.

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