Thermo physical analysis of 2-amino-2-methyl-lpropanol solvent for carbon dioxide removal

Removal of acid gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) is normally carried out by aqueous solutions of alkanolamines. The traditional amines used for acid gas removal include; mono-ethanolamine (MEA), di-ethanolamine (DEA) and N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA). There is a need to investigate new solvents to minimize the carbon emissions since the traditional amines have low CO ₂ loading capacity and require high energy for regeneration. Recently, a new class of amines, sterically hindered amines is identified as one of the potential solvent for acid gas removal due to their relatively higher CO₂ absorption capacity, low heat of regeneration and higher values of rate constant. One of the identified solvent that has potential for commercialization is sterically hindered amine known as 2-amino-2-methyl-l- propoanol (AMP). The investigation of thermophysical properties of this solvent is essential in the design and optimization for smooth operation of acid gas removal process. The density, viscosity, surface tension and refractive index are the most important physical properties for this purpose which is presented in this paper. These properties of aqueous solutions of 2-amino-2-methyl- lpropanol (AMP) are investigated over the industrially important temperature range of 298.15 K to 333.15 K. The thermal analysis of aqueous solutions was also carried out using TGA (Thermal gravity analyzer) with the heating rate of 10 °Cmin^-1 under nitrogen (N₂) environment in order to investigate the thermal stability of the solvent. All the investigated properties are correlated as a function of temperature for ease of usage in the design of acid gas removal system. The correlated and measured data are in good agreement.