Analytical methods for the monitoring of post-combustion CO2 capture process using amine solvents: A review

Post-combustion CO2 capture is considered to be the most promising technology to limit the CO2 emissions from existing fossil fuel power plants. One of the main problems associated with the CO2 capture process is the degradation of amine solvents, which can negatively impact both human health and the environment. Degradation products are formed in the liquid phase of the solvent, but can also be emitted with the gaseous effluents, increasing the need for monitoring strategies. The present review proposes a critical analysis of the literature concerning the analytical strategies developed in the field of post-combustion capture to identify and quantify the main classes of degradation products formed; specifically amines, amides, aldehydes, nitrosamines and organic acids. Regarding the liquid phase, the principal analytical methods involved are Liquid Chromatography (LC) and Gas Chromatography (GC) for the analysis of amines and Ionic Chromatography (IC) for the analysis of organic and inorganic acids. Concerning aldehydes, the most described method is derivatization of the compounds with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine prior to LC analysis. In order to monitor the gaseous effluents, four methods have been described: FTIR, implementation of impingers, online MS analysis and sampling on solid sorbents.