Post-combustion CO2 separation

The separation of postcombustion CO₂ is a technique to capture and sequester CO_{2http://www.futura-sciences.com/fr/question-reponse/t/automobile/d/transport-et-co2-quelle-part-des-emissions_1017/}. The process consists in treating the gaseous effluents after combustion of fuels (coal, oil etc.) in air.

The principle and use of postcombustion separation of CO₂

In general, a liquid solvent such as monoethanolamine (MEA) is used to capture the CO₂ fraction (3 to 15 % of the dry volume) of combustion gases.

This technique is well understood and is used in some power stations. The postcombustion capture of CO₂ is economically viable under certain precise conditions, i.e. with financial incentives (subsidy, carbon tax, etc.).