Processing of Lithium Zirconate for Applications in Carbon Dioxide Separation: Structure and Properties of the Powders

Abstract

Lithium zirconate, Li 2 ZrO 3 , has been reported as a candidate material for high‐temperature CO 2 separation. The reaction of Li 2 ZrO 3 with CO 2 is extremely fast, and the material can store significant quantities of CO 2 at high temperature. The reacted CO 2 can be regenerated by thermal cycling. Alternatively, a membrane system might be developed based on the reversible reaction process. For absorption and membrane separation, the particle size, crystal structure, and state of agglomeration of the Li 2 ZrO 3 powders are important. Therefore, we have synthesized Li 2 ZrO 3 using sol‐gel procedures and compared its properties with powders made via a powder‐mixing route and a commercial‐grade powder. The morphologic and structural characteristics of the powders and their CO 2 absorption properties are discussed.