PAN-based activated carbon nanofiber/metal oxide composites for CO2 and CH4 adsorption: influence of metal oxide

In the present study, we successfully prepared two different electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based-activated carbon nanofiber (ACNF) composites by incorporation of well-distributed Fe₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs). The influence of metal oxide on the structural, morphological, and textural properties of final composites was thoroughly investigated. The results showed that the morphological and textural properties could be easily tuned by changing the metal oxide NPs. Even though, the ACNF composites were not chemically activated by any activation agent, they presented relatively high surface areas (S_BET) calculated by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) equation as 212.21 and 185.12 m²/g for ACNF/Fe₂O₃ and ACNF/Co₃O₄ composites, respectively. Furthermore, the ACNF composites were utilized as candidate adsorbents for CO₂ and CH₄ adsorption. The ACNF/Fe₂O₃ and ACNF/Co₃O₄ composites resulted the highest CO₂ adsorption capacities of 1.502 and 2.166 mmol/g at 0 °C, respectively, whereas the highest CH₄ adsorption capacities were obtained to be 0.516 and 0.661 mmol/g at 0 °C by ACNF/Fe₂O₃ and ACNF/Co₃O₄ composites, respectively. The isosteric heats calculated lower than 80 kJ/mol showed that the adsorption processes of CO₂ and CH₄ were mainly dominated by physical adsorption for both ACNF composites. Our findings indicated that ACNF-metal oxide composites are useful materials for designing of CO₂ and CH₄ adsorption systems.     

Fluorinated polyimide nanocomposites for CO2/CH4 separation

The purpose of this project was to synthesize fluorinated polyimide (PI) nanocomposite membranes in order to study the gas permeation rates and selectivity of carbon dioxide and methane. PIs were synthesized from 2,2‐bis(3,4‐anhydrodicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane (6F dianhydride, 6FDA) and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (oxydianiline, ODA) into which were incorporated nanoparticulate additives as follows: in situ TiO_2, both plain and treated with dodecyl sulfate surfactant, and organo‐clay (Cloisite®‐10 Å) at loads of 1, 3, and 5 wt% to the polyamic acid. Polyamic acid films were solvent cast, cured at 200°C then post‐cured at 300°C and measured for permeation data and for thermal properties. Glass transition temperatures ranged from 124 to 140°C for the cured PIs and from 142 to 147°C for the post‐cured materials, the nano‐inclusions having little discernable effect on this property. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data show that the inclusion of Cloisite® or TiO₂ caused a small decrease of thermal stability from 555°C to about 532 to 541°C. The inclusion of clay causes a decreased permeation rate while the addition of TiO₂ improves the rate and selectivity. Treating the nanofillers with surfactant decreases selectivity and marginally increases rate of permeation of CO₂. Post‐curing caused a darkening of the composites, but not the neat PI. This heat treatment also resulted in a significantly decreased permeation rate, but a significantly increased selectivity. The resulting material shows superior gas separation properties to the commercially available PI, Matrimid® produced by Ciba‐Geigy. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CO2 adsorption on zeolite X/activated carbon composites

Two series of zeolite X/activated carbon composites with different ratios of zeolite and activated carbon were prepared through a combination process of CO₂ activation of the mixtures of elutrilithe and pitch and subsequent hydrothermal crystallization in alkaline solution. An additional surface modification was achieved in diluted NH₄Cl solution. CO₂ and N₂ uptakes on the composites before and after modification were determined for pressures up to 101?kPa at 273 and 298?K, respectively. Langmuir-Freundlich and Toth adsorption models were used to describe the adsorption isotherms of CO₂ and the corresponding heats of adsorption were estimated with the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Both before and after modification, all composites exhibited a remarkable preferential adsorption of CO₂ compared to N₂, with the modified composites showing a higher adsorption selectivity to CO₂ over N₂ than the unmodified composites. With an increasing ratio of zeolite in the composites, adsorption capacity and adsorption heat of CO₂ on the composites increased simultaneously. Lower adsorption heat was observed both before and after modification especially at the low-loading region and when there was less energetic heterogeneity on the surface of the modified composites. The results may be attributed to the elimination of strong basic sites on the modified composites, which is favorable for desorption of CO₂ on the adsorbents and application in pressure swing adsorption processes.     

电厂废气中饱和水蒸气对活性炭变压吸附捕集CO2的影响

由于热电厂废气中含有高湿饱和水蒸气,选用疏水材料活性炭为吸附剂,利用真空变压吸附技术研究了活性炭分离电厂废气中水蒸气和二氧化碳的可行性和优越性,研究了水对CO₂捕集的影响。实验分析表明,水在活性炭上的“S”型等温吸附曲线有利于真空条件下被解吸。同时,圆锥模型描述了水蒸气在吸附床内的浓度分布。结果表明,即使水蒸气可以被活性炭吸附,但它的存在不影响CO₂的捕集。每个循环操作可在相对较短的解吸时间和较高的解吸压力下完成。实验中单床三步变压吸附工艺可以使CO₂回收率高达80%,CO₂纯度达43%。     

AlPO-18 membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

The synthesis of reproducible and continuous AlPO-18 membranes is demonstrated. The separation performance of these membranes for equimolar CO(2)/CH(4) gas mixtures is presented. The AlPO-18 membranes displayed CO(2) permeances as high as ~6.6 × 10(-8) mol m(-2) s Pa with CO(2)/CH(4) separation selectivities in the ~52-60 range at 295 K and 138 kPa.     

Alumina-supported SAPO-34 membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

SAPO-34 membranes were prepared by in situ crystallization on alpha-Al2O3 porous supports. The crystal size of the seeds was effectively controlled in the 0.7 to 8.5 micron range by employing different structure-directing agents. Seeds smaller than 1 micron produced membranes with CO2/CH4 separation selectivities higher than 170 and unprecedented CO2 permeances as high as 2.0 x 10(-6) mol/m2.s.Pa at 295 K and a feed pressure of 224 kPa. The membranes effectively separated CO2/CH4 mixtures up to 1.7 MPa.     

Sorption equilibria of CO2/CH4 mixture on activated carbon in presence of water

The sorption isotherms of CO2 + CH4 mixtures on an activated carbon were collected in the presence of water at a temperature suitable for hydrate formation. The equilibrium composition of both phases was determined. The initial concentration of CO2 in mixtures was set at 33, 38 and 42%, and the total pressure was up to 10 MPa. CO2 hydrates were firstly formed following the increase of total pressure, and CO2 dominates the sorbed phase composition. CO2 concentration in the sorbed phase begins to decrease when the partial pressure of methane allows for the formation of methane hydrates. Competition for hydrate cavities was observed between CO2 and CH4 as reflected in the isotherm shape and phase composition at equilibrium. The formation pressure of hydrates is lower for mixtures than for pure gases, and the highest sorption capacity of each gas decreased in the mixture sorption either.     

Synthesis of nitrogen doped activated carbon/polyaniline material for CO2 adsorption

The equilibrium adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide and nitrogen on the nitrogen doped activated carbon (NAC) prepared by the chemical activation of a pine cone‐based char/polyaniline composite were measured using a volumetric technique. CO₂ and N₂ adsorption experiments were done at three different temperatures (298, 308, and 318 K) and pressures up to 16 bar, and correlated with the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips models. The Sips isotherm model presented the best fit to the experimental data. The N‐doped adsorbent showed CO₂ and N₂ adsorption capacity of 3.96 mmol·g⁻¹ and 0.86 mmol·g⁻¹, respectively, at 298 K and 1 bar. The selectivity predicted by ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) model was achieved 47.17 for NAC at 1 bar and y_N2 = 0.85 which is a composition similar to flue gas. The results showed that NAC adsorbent has a high CO₂‐over‐N₂ selectivity in a binary mixture. The relatively fast sorption rate of CO₂ on NAC compared to N₂ indicates the stronger affinity between CO₂ and amine groups. The isosteric heat of adsorption of CO₂ by the NAC demonstrated the physico‐chemical adsorption of CO₂ on the adsorbent surface. These data showed that prepared NAC could be successfully applied in separation of CO₂ from N₂.     

Chemical modification of activated carbon monoliths for CO2 adsorption

The development of materials with potential application for CO₂ capture is a topic of great scientific interest. Activated carbons (AC) can be conveniently used as CO₂ adsorbents thanks to their microporous structure and tunable chemical properties. In this work, two AC honeycomb monoliths were synthesized starting from African palm stones through activation either with H₃PO₄ or with ZnCl₂ solution. Surface functionalization was performed in order to add nitrogen groups, aiming at an enhancement of CO₂ adsorption capacity. This chemical modification was performed either with ammonia in gas phase or a with 30 % ammonium hydroxide aqueous solution on both AC monolith samples. The original and modified monoliths were characterized by N₂ adsorption at 77 K, infrared spectroscopy, Boehm titration, and immersion calorimetry in benzene and water. CO₂ adsorption on both raw and functionalized AC monoliths was evaluated in volumetric equipment at a temperature of 273 K and until 1 bar, and adsorption capacity ranging between 120 and 220 mg_CO2 g _AC ^?1 was obtained. The experimental results indicated that both methods of chemical modification determined an increase in the content of superficial nitrogen groups and thus an increase in CO₂ adsorption capacity, the treatment with ammonium hydroxide being slightly preferable.     

Novel preparation of NaA/carbon nanocomposite thin films with high permeance for CO2/CH4 separation

Novel NaA/carbon nanocomposite thin films were successfully prepared on a porous a-Al2O3 substrate by incorporatingnanosized NaA zeolite into novolak-type phenolic resin.The prepared films were characterized by XRD,SEM and single gaspermeation tests.The NaA zeolite/carbon nanocomposite thin films exhibited that the ideal separation factor of CO2/CH4 was 28.4and the carbon dioxide flux was 3.39*10-7mol/(Pa m2s)at room temperature and under a pressure difference of 100 kPa,whichwas two orders of magnitude higher than that of pure carbon membrane prepared at the same procedures and conditions as those ofcomposite films.From the SEM images,the films were continuous and highly intergrown.Compared with carbon membranes,thethickness of nanocomposite films was drastically decreased,which was helpful to reduce the diffusion resistance and increase theflux of gas permeance.     

CO2 adsorption on activated carbon prepared from mangosteen peel

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The heat capacity of monazite-type LaPO4 and PrPO4 nanocrystalline whiskers, with a diameter of 30 to 45 nm and length 1–1.5 μm,...     

Preparation and characterization of cross-linked Matrimid membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

For preventing plasticization phenomenon, cross-linked Matrimid membranes were prepared. Matrimid membranes were immersed in a solution of 10% (w/v) ethylenediamine or hexamethylenediamine in methanol for preparation of cross-linked membranes. Using a gas separation membrane unit, permeability properties of pristine and modified membranes for pure gases (CO₂ and CH₄) were investigated. CO₂ plasticization effect on permeability properties of the membranes is discussed. Modified membranes indicated smaller values of tensile strength than pristine membranes. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed that thermal resistance of modified membranes increased in a limited temperature range. In general, modified membranes were thermally stable for separation applications. Formation of amide groups in modified membranes was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis.     

Effect of carbon pore structure on the CH4/N2 separation

The separation between CH₄ and N₂ bears importance in coalbed methane enrichment, and activated carbon is a major adsorbent for industrial PSA (pressure swing adsorption) separation. However, the adsorption of both gases shows supercritical features, and the physicochemical properties are also similar, which results in similar adsorption behavior and renders the separation difficult. To maximize the separation coefficient, the effect of carbon pore structure on the separation was studied and a series of carbons was prepared at different extent of activation. The effect of specific surface area, pore size and pore volume on the separation coefficient was observed and a linear correlation between the separation coefficient and the small pore (0.7–1.3?nm) volume reduced to unit surface area was shown.     

Investigation of poly(ether-b-amide)/nanosilica membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

The results of molecular dynamics （MD） simulations on transport process of CO2 and CH4 gases in poly（ether-b- amide） （PEBAX）/nanosilica membranes are discussed. The diffusion coefficients for CH4 and CO2 gases at 6 cases with different amounts of nanosilica loading in the simulation boxes are presented. The results show that diffusion coefficients for CO2 gas in all cases are larger than those for the CH4 one. Moreover 10% nanosilica loading case shows maximum effects on diffusion coefficients and improves them by more than 68% and 157% for CO2 and CH4 gases, respectively. Additionally, the results of 3-D Cartesian trajectories and displacements curves are presented and the jumping attempt of CO2 is significantly more than that of CH4. Due to the rubbery state of PEBAX membranes in ambient temperature, the results confirm that channel lifetimes are very short and then back diffusion is not observed for this polymer.     

Synthesis and CO2/CH4 separation performance of Bio-MOF-1 membranes

Herein we present the preparation of continuous and reproducible Bio-MOF-1 membranes supported on porous stainless steel tubes. These membranes displayed high CO(2) permeances for equimolar mixtures of CO(2) and CH(4). The observed CO(2)/CH(4) selectivities above one indicate that the separation is promoted by competitive adsorption.     

A DFT study on the selective adsorption and separation of CO2/CH4 on the Mg-decorated 2-D covalent organic framework (COF-5)

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), an emerging class of crystalline polymeric materials, have garnered growing interest due to their ideal chemical and thermal stability and ordered microporous architectures, which make them effective agents for selective CH₄/CO₂ separation. In this work, adsorption and separation of methane and carbon dioxide molecules on the two-dimensional pristine and Mg-decorated COF-5 (MgCOF-5) was investigated using density functional theory, employing B3LYP. Both CH₄ and CO₂ molecules were found to weakly adsorbed through van der Waals interactions to the bare sheet via physisorption, releasing energies ranging from -3.8 to -5.6 and -8.7 to 12.8, respectively and the sheet's electrical characteristics don't alter all that much. To overcome this weak selectivity/sensitivity, multiple Mg atoms were decorated atop aromatic rings of COF-5. Our results show that up to four CO₂ molecules can be adsorbed on each Mg atom exothermically, whereas E_ad of CH₄ is near zero so the theoretical CO₂ capacity of a full Mg-covered sheet is 0.51 gCO₂/g MgCOF-5. Also, the decorating of Mg atoms on the surface of COF-5 induces certain changes in the sheet's electrical characteristics and that the sheet's E_g changes up to 80% following the adsorption of several CO₂ molecules, making it a potential candidate for CO₂ detection.