Activated Carbon Produced from the Hydrothermal Treatment of Glucose with KOH Activation for Catalytic Absorption of CO<sub>2</sub> in a BEA-AMP Bi-Solvent Blend
Foster Amoateng Appiah, Dzifa Nugloze, Lois Sandra Sai-Obodai, Paweesuda Natewong, Raphael Idem
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The amine-based postcombustion CO 2 capture (PCC) process involves absorption of CO 2 into a solvent and then regenerating the solvent to produce CO 2 . In this study, the effect of an activated carbon (AC) catalyst, synthesized through hydrothermal treatment and furnace activation on CO 2 absorption in a 4M BEA/AMP amine blend, was evaluated and compared with that of a KMgO/CNTs (1:4) catalyst. The physical and chemical properties of AC were investigated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), CO 2 temperature-programmed desorption (CO 2 -TPD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and compared with the KMgO/CNTs (1:4) catalyst. The results showed that when compared against noncatalytic CO 2 absorption, AC enhanced the linear rate of CO 2 absorption by 33.3%, while for KMgO/CNTs, it was reported as 25.5%. The relatively higher surface area, combined with the higher number and strength of basic sites of AC relative to the KMgO/CNTs (1:4) catalyst, provided effective basic reaction sites for CO 2 absorption, thereby enhancing the rate of CO 2 absorption into the amine. AC was also relatively easier to synthesize which would provide a good replacement for the CNT-based catalyst which has carcinogenic tendencies.