Amine-based solvent for CO2 absorption and its impact on carbon steel corrosion: A perspective review

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the commonly emitted gaseous by-products in industrial processes. While CO2 gas is the main cause to greenhouse effect, various CO2 capture technologies have been proposed and implemented to sequester the CO2 before the waste gases being released into the atmosphere. One of the mature technologies for CO2 absorption is by using amine-based solvents. In this regard, different single amine solvents or blended amine solvents have been proven for their capability to remove CO2. However, the dissolution and reaction of CO2 gas with the amine solvents turn the solution corrosive. Such phenomenon is undesired as it posts corrosion problem to the absorption column, which normally built of carbon steel material. Henceforth, understanding the behaviour of different amine-based solvents in absorbing CO2 and its subsequent impact on carbon steel corrosion is very significant. In this review article, we will outline some of the more commonly used solvents and their respective advantages and disadvantages, motivating further investigation into the corrosion tendency. Meanwhile, existing gaps in this research area are discussed for future investigation.