A temperature swing adsorption apparatuses and process is disclosed comprising passing a feed stream to a first adsorption bed to adsorb one or more contaminants from the feed stream to produce a product stream. A regeneration gas separator overhead stream is passed to a second adsorption bed to provide a second adsorption bed effluent stream. The second adsorption bed effluent stream is passed to a heater to generate a hot regeneration effluent stream. The hot regeneration effluent stream is passed to a third adsorption bed to regenerate the third adsorption bed and provide a regeneration effluent stream. At least a portion of the regeneration effluent stream is passed to a guard bed to remove sulfur and oxygen compounds to provide a treated regeneration effluent stream. The treated regeneration effluent stream is passed to a regeneration gas separator to provide the regeneration gas separator overhead stream.

Process and apparatuses for purifying a feed stream containing CO.sub.2 and predominantly hydrogen are provided. In an embodiment, the process includes passing the feed stream through a multilayer adsorbent bed comprising a first adsorbent section, a second adsorbent section downstream from the first adsorbent section and a third adsorbent section downstream from the second adsorbent section. The first adsorbent section comprises an activated carbon layer, the second adsorbent section comprises a layer of molecular sieve of the faujasite structure type with a Si/Al atomic ratio of from 1.5 to 8.0 and the third adsorbent section comprises a layer of molecular sieve of the faujasite structure type with a Si/Al atomic ratio of from 1.0 to 1.5. At least one of N.sub.2, CO.sub.2, CH.sub.4 and CO is adsorbed from the feed stream and a purified hydrogen product is recovered from the multilayer adsorbent bed.

A system and method of reducing the net carbon dioxide footprint of an industrial process that generates power from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels in which ambient air is admixed with up to 50% by volume of an effluent gas from the power generator of the industrial process, in order to substantially increase the CO.sub.2 concentration in the air prior to treatment. The treatment comprises adsorbing CO.sub.2 from the admixed ambient air utilizing a cooled, porous substrate-supported amine adsorbent, wherein the porous substrate initially contacts the mixed ambient air containing condensed water in its pores, which act as an intrinsic coolant with respect to the exothermic heat generated by the adsorption process. In addition, prior to regenerating the supported adsorbent, air pressure is substantially reduced in the sealed regeneration chamber and the low pressure chamber is placed in fluid connection with a higher pressure regeneration chamber containing steam and carbon dioxide, to preheat the sorbent to be regenerated and to quickly cool the regenerated sorbent prior to use for further CO.sub.2 adsorption.

A method for separating gaseous carbon dioxide from a mixture by cyclic adsorption/desorption using a unit containing an adsorber structure withsorbent material, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a)contacting said mixture with the sorbent material to allow said gaseous carbon dioxide to adsorb under ambient conditions; (b)evacuating said unit to a pressure in the range of 20-400 mbar.sub.abs and heating said sorbent material to a temperature in the range of 80-130 C.; and (c) re-pressurisation of the unit to ambient atmospheric pressure conditions and actively cooling the sorbent material to a temperature larger or equal to ambient temperature; wherein in step (b) steam is injected into the unit to flow-through and contact the sorbent material under saturated steam conditions, and wherein the molar ratio of steam that is injected to the gaseous carbon dioxide released is less than 20:1.

The present invention relates to a process for processing a gas mixture comprising methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, argon and traces of olefins and oxygenates. Methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and optionally hydrogen, can be recovered from the gas mixture in a very efficient way.

A system and method of reducing the net carbon dioxide footprint of an industrial process that generates power from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels in which ambient air is admixed with up to 50% by volume of an effluent gas from the power generator of the industrial process, in order to substantially increase the CO.sub.2 concentration in the air prior to treatment. The treatment comprises adsorbing CO.sub.2 from the admixed ambient air utilizing a cooled, porous substrate-supported amine adsorbent, wherein the porous substrate initially contacts the mixed ambient air containing condensed water in its pores, which act as an intrinsic coolant with respect to the exothermic heat generated by the adsorption process. In addition, prior to regenerating the supported adsorbent, air pressure is substantially reduced in the sealed regeneration chamber and the low pressure chamber is placed in fluid connection with a higher pressure regeneration chamber containing steam and carbon dioxide, to preheat the sorbent to be regenerated and to quickly cool the regenerated sorbent prior to use for further CO.sub.2 adsorption.

A device is disclosed for conducting an adsorption/desorption swing reaction. The desorption step of the reaction is conducted at least in part at a temperature below 100 C. Dry steam is used for purging the reactor and the adsorbent bed in the reactor. For this purpose the device has a water reservoir, and a vacuum source in fluid connection with the water reservoir and the reactor. During the desorption step the vacuum source causes water to evaporate, and the water vapor to flow through the reactor.