Surface modification of low cost carbons for their application in the environmental protection

In this work, the CO₂ capture capacity of a series of activated carbons derived from recycled polyethylene terephtalate (PET) was tested, facing two problems at the same time: minimising plastic waste and developing an adsorbent for CO₂ capture. The PET raw material, obtained from post-consumer soft-drink bottles, was chemically activated with KOH. In addition, a series of nitrogen-enriched activated carbons was obtained by mixing the raw material with different nitrogen compounds (i.e., acridine, carbazole and urea). The influence of temperature on the CO₂ capture capacity of the adsorbents was evaluated in a thermogravimetric system. The CO₂ uptake was also related to the chemical and textural characteristics of the samples.