Topology optimisation of adsorption beds for cost-effective direct air capture
The performance of adsorption systems is sensitive to the geometry of the adsorbent. To achieve feasibility for large-scale implementation of CO2 direct air capture systems in line with the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change objectives, significant improvements to current adsorption systems must be made. In this study, we employ a topology optimization to the macrostructure of a swing adsorption bed using an experimentally verified numerical model. We unveil a simple blunted cone design, which achieves an estimated cost range of \$49-116/t-CO2 removed from the atmosphere for the system. This represents an improvement over the benchmark monolith design, which incurs a cost of \$75-140/t-CO2 considering the same process parameters.