Gas hydrates are a non conventional way of trapping and storing gas molecules trough the crystallization of water under the high pressure and low temperature conditions. Quaternary ammonium salts form hydrates at atmospheric pressure and can also form mixed hydrates in the presence of gas. It’s important to know their thermodynamic properties in order to evaluate their potential applications: one of these applications is the capture of carbon dioxide from flue gas. The semiclathrates studied were made from peralkylamonium salts (TBAB, TBACl, TBAF) and tetrabutyl phosphonium bromide (TBPB) plus several gases: CO2, N2, and CH4. The formation pressure was greatly reduced with regards to the respective gas hydrates. An eNRTL model for determining the activity coefficients of hydrate forming systems with salts has been used. Single and double salts systems were analyzed in the presence of CH4 and the data obtained is in a good agreement with the literature. The TBAB and CH4 semiclathrates system was also investigated with the results being different of those of the literature probably due to a difference on the structure of the semiclathrate. However, the results are promising, and the model gives a good predictionBased on the experimental results, a pilot plant scale process was designed. This new process consists in forming mixed hydrates of TBAB and CO2 in a bubble column. The hydrates are then removed from the column and after expansion, the mixed hydrates transform into TBAB hydrates releasing CO2, which can be returned to the bubble column.
