Study on MEA-CH₃OH solvent desorption enhanced by piezoelectric materials

Global warming driven by CO₂ emissions demands efficient carbon capture technologies. Chemical absorption is widely used but suffers high energy consumption in thermal desorption. This study proposes a piezoelectric-enhanced desorption method using rotating device and MEA-CH₃OH non-aqueous solvent with lead zirconate titanate （PZT）, niobium pentoxide （Nb₂O₅） and zirconium dioxide （ZrO₂） granular materials. Mechanical collision and room-temperature desorption via a rotating device was achieved. The installation parameters of the nozzle and collision plate were optimized. The simulation results indicate that the optimal structural parameters are a 45° nozzle installation angle and a 20 mm distance from the right wall. In this state, the flow field is stable and the collision efficiency reaches the maximum. It was showed that the absorption system achieves a CO₂absorption load of 0.46~0.51 mol·mol⁻¹, which is superior to that of the traditional MEA system. The open circuit potential test verifies that charge generation promotes desorption and quantifies the contribution of mechanical and piezoelectric effects. The desorption of CO₂ is confirmed by FT-IR. Additionally, the energy consumption is 1.4 GJ·t⁻¹ CO₂ at 75 °C, representing a 52% reduction compared to the traditional MEA system. Scanning electron microscopy and cyclic performance tests confirmed that the piezoelectric material maintained good stability during the absorption and desorption process. The device, integrating the piezoelectric effect with a non-aqueous solvent, provides a promising low-temperature and low-energy solution for CO₂ capture.