Bourbon Legends: Carbon Capturing Spirits

Global warming has been a major problem resulting in the increase of average world temperatures. The planet’s surface temperature has risen about 2.1°F (1.2°C) since the late 19th century due to the increasing amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Although carbon dioxide is essential for life on earth, it plays a huge role in the greenhouse effect. The calculated CO2 emission from fermentation in the United States alone is 40 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of CO2 per year. One of the fermentation processes that contributes to CO2 emissions is Bourbon production. A typical bourbon production process producing approximately 19,000 barrels a year is carefully analyzed for its carbon dioxide emissions to be 3,200 Metric Tonnes (MT) of CO2. Although there are a multitude of methods to capture CO2 such as Monoethanolamine (MEA) carbon capture, plant-based absorption, etc. our design team chose a Micro-Encapsulated CO2 Sorbent (MECS) system with a Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3) solvent to be the main process to make this specific bourbon production more environmentally friendly. The objective of this design is to implement the MECS system into our typical bourbon process to capture the CO2 emissions. Our design team chose Eastern Kentucky as the new plant location, approximately 8.7 million square feet in size, to take advantage of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative grants. The MECS system is integrated into the exhaust of the fermentation vessels, where it is sent to a series of Fixed Bed Contactors (FBC) to absorb and desorb CO2 via a reversible reaction Na2CO3+H2O+CO2⟷2NaHCO3. After desorption, the CO2 gas is sold as a byproduct. Economic, Process Safety and Environmental (HAZOP), and Process Control analyses will be conducted as well to ensure this process follows United States guidelines appropriately.