Evaluation of a novel fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis and membrane contactor hybrid system for CO2 capture using ammonia-rich wastewater

Chemical absorption is widely employed to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) for addressing climate change. While monoethanolamine (MEA) currently dominates as an absorption solvent, utilizing ammonia-rich wastewater offers advantages such as reduced costs, high absorption capacity, and the generation of ammonium carbamate. This study proposes an innovative fertilizer-drawn forward osmosis (FDFO)-membrane contactor (MC) hybrid system for economically and sustainably mitigating CO2 emissions using ammonia-rich wastewater. First, ammonia-lean synthetic wastewater was concentrated through an FDFO system, using three fertilizers (KCl, monoammonium phosphate, and diammonium phosphate) as draw solutions. While KCl achieved a 45% ammonia dilution, diammonium phosphate yielded the highest concentration approximately 49%. Also, MCs were assessed for CO2 absorption under various operational conditions. Increased liquid concentration and flow rates improved CO2 capture efficiency, whereas higher CO2 flow rates and concentrations resulted in an adverse effect. Furthermore, a simulation study of a hybrid FDFO-MC system was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and potential of the system. The results indicated that the FDFO-MC hybrid system has the potential to efficiently remove CO2 if sufficient concentration and flow rate of ammonia-rich solution was secured at the FDFO outlet. This innovation addresses CO2 emissions and wastewater challenges, adhering to circular economy principles.