Material Performance in MEA-Based CO₂ Capture at TCM
- chemsolsustainabil
- Jan 20
- 2 min read
The Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) in Norway, one of the world’s leading facilities for large-scale CO₂ capture testing, conducted extensive long-term trials between 2017 and 2018 to evaluate material performance in CO₂ absorption using aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA). These trials, known as the MEA-3, MEA-4, and MEA-5 campaigns, aimed to address one of the major challenges in post-combustion carbon capture: corrosion.
MEA is a widely used solvent for CO₂ capture, but it is known to be highly corrosive—especially in oxygen-rich flue gas environments. Corrosion can significantly increase operational risks and costs, making correct material selection critical for future commercial-scale plants.
To assess real-world material durability, TCM exposed metal and rubber test coupons to MEA solvent under a wide range of operating conditions across five different plant locations, including hot and cold solvent lines and the stripper overhead. The materials tested included carbon steel (CS 235), stainless steels (316L), duplex stainless steels (22Cr and 25Cr), and several rubber materials commonly used for gaskets and seals.
Key Findings
Carbon steel (CS 235) showed severe corrosion in most MEA process locations and is generally unsuitable for MEA-based CO₂ capture systems. In some cases, the material was completely corroded by the end of the test period.
A limited exception was observed for CS 235 in the cold rich solvent line under specific conditions, where mid-campaign measurements suggested acceptable corrosion rates. This highlights how strongly corrosion behavior depends on operating conditions.
Stainless steels and duplex stainless steels performed well across all tested locations, with corrosion rates remaining within acceptable limits.
No significant pitting or cracking was found on the tested stainless steel materials in MEA solvent, although carbon steel showed pitting in the stripper overhead, likely linked to CO₂ corrosion.
Rubber materials generally maintained their integrity, with only minor changes in hardness observed. No cracking or loss of mechanical strength was detected.
Continuous solvent monitoring—tracking metal ions, heat stable salts, and degradation products—proved to be an effective early-warning system, even helping identify and manage a real corrosion incident in the plant during operation.
Why This Matters
The study confirms that material corrosion in MEA-based CO₂ capture is highly process-dependent and cannot be reliably predicted without testing under real operating conditions. While carbon steel may appear attractive from a cost perspective, its poor corrosion resistance makes it a high-risk choice for most MEA applications. In contrast, stainless and duplex stainless steels offer far greater reliability.
For commercial carbon capture projects, these findings reinforce the importance of:
Careful material selection
Robust corrosion monitoring programs
Maintaining solvent quality over long-term operation
Together, these measures are essential to reduce operational risk, control costs, and ensure the long-term viability of large-scale CO₂ capture plants.
Published by: The Open-source Centre at TCM, https://catchingourfuture.com/
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