To reduce CO2 emissions from e.g. waste incineration and production plants, post combustion carbon capture with amine-based solvents is now being tested at several sites in Denmark.

Carbon capture with amine-based solvents will lead to trace emissions of amines and their degradation products to ambient air.

Emissions of amines, and in particular their degradation products, including nitrosamines, nitramines, amides, and aldehydes may be harmful to human health and the environment. To ensure that such emissions are at a low and acceptable level, there is a need for applicable measurement methods to monitor and quantify the emission of these compounds from carbon capture plants.

Suitable measurement methods

This include manual sampling with impinger trains with subsequent analysis. More information on real-time concentrations can be obtained through on-line methods such as FTIR analysis and advanced mass spectrometers.

In addition to FTIR analysis for e.g. monitoring amines and ammonia emissions, and manual sampling methods for degradation products, FORCE Technology will also offer on-line measurement with a new state-of-the-art instrument for monitoring amines and in particular their degradation products, such as nitrosamines. This instrument is called a Proton Transfer Reaction Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ToF MS), and it can measure down to sub-ppb levels of volatile organic and inorganic compounds directly from the stack gas with high mass resolution and high time resolution.

To learn more about the different measurement methods and their advantages and limitations, read the report "Measurement methods for selected emissions from amine-based carbon capture plants."

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