ATMI Begins Commercialization of New Carbon Dioxide Capture System Co-Developed With SRI International.

ATMI is launching commercialization of a new carbon dioxide (CO2) capture system that combines technologies from ATMI and SRI International. Under a marketing agreement, ATMI will lead commercialization efforts and is engaging potential development partners for rapid scale-up and commercial deployment of CO2 capture systems.

The system features ATMI's precision BrightBlack (tm) carbon adsorbent technology and a proprietary, adsorbent-based gas separation technology designed by SRI. When combined, the technologies form a unique and effective system that exhibits excellent performance in CO2 capture. Results from recent small-scale field testing will be presented at the 2012 NETL CO2 Capture Technology Meeting, July 9th in Pittsburgh.

"SRI and ATMI have validated a new approach to CO2 capture," said Chris Lantman, Ph.D, director of commercial business development, SRI Physical Sciences Division. "It offers significant advantages compared to current systems. SRI believes its collaboration with ATMI will bring an important solution to the marketplace."

Laboratory, pilot and field tests conducted under the direction of Gopala Krishnan, Ph.D., associate director of SRI's Materials Research Laboratory, revealed that BrightBlack carbon microbead adsorbents display exceptional physical adsorption characteristics for CO2, with high capacity and low regeneration energy. They also possess excellent chemical and mechanical stability in an SRI process that features a recirculating adsorbent system with integrated CO2 adsorption and steam-stripping sections. The combined system has consistently demonstrated CO2 capture efficiencies greater than 90 percent with CO2 purities as high as 99 percent. It can be used at coal or natural gas-fired power plants, and has demonstrated performance using flue gas typical of either coal or natural gas-fired power plants.

"First commercialization will likely come from small-scale, industrial customers wanting to capture and reuse CO2 in their processes to reduce their raw materials costs and CO2 footprint," commented Josh Sweeney, marketing director for ATMI's BrightBlack technologies. "We believe this approach is also a good fit for the large-scale utility applications that dominate carbon capture discussions. With capture costs as low as $10 to $15 per ton achievable with this technology, large scale utilities are attractive longer-term targets."

ATMI's BrightBlack brand of precision carbon comprises a family of specialty carbon molecular sieves that are engineered for extremely high adsorption capacities and can be optimized for gas storage, gas capture and reuse, and a variety of industrially important gas separations. Additionally, BrightBlack carbons show promise as advanced electrode materials in energy storage applications.

Earlier versions of BrightBlack carbon adsorbents were first used in the company's Safe Delivery Source (R) (SDS (R)) gas cylinder delivery system. By using the carbon to adsorb highly toxic and dangerous gases used to manufacture computer chips, the SDS system can store these gases sub-atmospherically. This has helped avoid catastrophic events associated with high pressure cylinders caused by human error or damaged cylinders. SDS systems have dramatically reduced the risk of using these gases and has helped semiconductor manufacturers save lives and improve productivity.

Over the last eight years, ATMI has produced nearly 50 metric tons of its microporous carbon adsorbents.

This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory under Award Number DE-NT0005578.

ATMI, of Danbury, Connecticut, provides specialty semiconductor materials, and safe, high-purity materials handling and delivery solutions designed to increase process efficiencies for the worldwide semiconductor, flat panel, and life sciences industries.

SRI is a nonprofit research and development institute based in Silicon Valley, California. (6/28/2012)

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