Amine degradation in CO2 capture. 2. New degradation products of MEA. Pyrazine and alkylpyrazines : analysis, mechanism of formation and toxicity.

A. Rey (1) , Camille Gouedard (2) , N. Ledirac (3) , Albert Cohen (1) , J. Dugay (1) , J. Vial (1) , Valérie Pichon (1) , L. Bertomeu (1) , D. Picq (2) , Pierre-Louis Carrette (2)

1 UPMC - Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6
2 IFPEN - IFP Energies nouvelles
3 CEHTRA - CEHTRA

CO2 capture and storage is one of the promising technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To be used, this technology needs economic but also environmental acceptance. Nevertheless, amines used in CO2 capture process react with flue gas components (O2, CO2, NOx, SOx...) to form degradation products, and some of them could be potentially dangerous to humans or environment according to their toxicity and their concentration. Ethanolamine (MEA) is the benchmark amine for this application. Although MEA degradation has been intensively studied, some degradation products are still unidentified. In this article, new degradation products of MEA are reported: pyrazine and 9 alkyl pyrazines. A new analytical method based on HS-SPME and GC-MS was developed to identify and quantify the 10 pyrazines present in a pilot plant sample. A mechanism for their formation was proposed. The toxicity of these molecules was assessed based on available toxicological data and, when the information was not sufficient, a computational approach was used: TOPKAT and DEREK SARs. LD50, skin and eye irritancy potential, genotoxicity and reproductive effects were assessed. The study showed that the ten identified pyrazines could be considered as safe at the level of intake estimated at 0.2 to 120 µg/day in Europe.

Mots clés: Post-combustion CO2 Capture; Amine degradation; MEA; Pyrazine; Toxicity; HS-SPME; GC-MS; Mechanisms; SAR

Domaines: Génie chimique

A. Rey, Camille Gouedard, N. Ledirac, Albert Cohen, J. Dugay, et al.. Amine degradation in CO2 capture. 2. New degradation products of MEA. Pyrazine and alkylpyrazines : analysis, mechanism of formation and toxicity.. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 2013, 19 (November), pp.576-583. ⟨hal-00907537⟩