Demonstration of the carbon capture with building make-up air unit

Abstract

Building-integrated carbon capture technology has the potential to reduce the cost of CO₂ capture while improving indoor air quality (IAQ). To promote the adoption of CO₂ capture in a building environment, this study investigated the possibility of integrating carbon capture technology with an existing rooftop make-up air unit (MAU) system to trap CO₂. Here, a modular compact CO₂ capture system containing amine-functionalized polymer fibers was examined. The system, which was installed at the exhaust of the MAU, captures CO₂ before it leaves the building to enter the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. The demonstrated average amount of CO₂ captured was 1.1–1.4 mmol/g of adsorbent material. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) was further performed on the CO₂ capture system, considering material costs, energy costs, as well as transportation and regeneration costs. These results were then used to estimate the levelized cost per ton CO₂ captured (LCOC). To achieve LCOC below $100/t-CO₂, adsorbents should have working capacities of 4.9 t and 3 t-CO₂/year for 5 years and 10 years of operation, respectively. In summary, this study highlights a viable path toward the decarbonization of the commercial buildings sector and provides quantitative performance and economic insight on the suitability of building-integrated carbon capture technology.