Processing of lithium zirconate for applications in carbon dioxide separation: Structure and properties of the powders

Lithium zirconate, Li2ZrO3, has been reported as a candidate material for high-temperature CO2 separation. The reaction of Li2ZrO3 with CO2 is extremely fast, and the material can store significant quantities of CO2 at high temperature. The reacted CO2 can be regenerated by thermal cycling. Alternatively, a membrane system might be developed based on the reversible reaction process. For absorption and membrane separation, the particle size, crystal structure, and state of agglomeration of the Li2ZrO3 powders are important. Therefore, we have synthesized Li2ZrO3 using sol-gel procedures and compared its properties with powders made via a powder-mixing route and a commercial-grade powder. The morphologic and structural characteristics of the powders and their CO2 absorption properties are discussed.