Synthesizing MgO with a high specific surface for carbon dioxide adsorption

In this work, highly porous MgO was synthesized for CO2 adsorption by a simple and economic thermal decomposition of basic magnesium carbonate and magnesium oxalate. Characterizations of the synthesized samples were accomplished using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The results showed that the synthesized MgO possessed a high BET surface area in a range of 161-252 m(2) g(-1) and a highly porous structure. Thermo gravimetric analysis revealed that the synthesized MgO not only showed good selectivity to CO2 but also yielded a CO2 adsorption capacity of as high as 7.59 wt%. Besides, in situ FTIR spectroscopy and CO2 TPD curves demonstrated that the adsorption mechanism of synthesized MgO was mainly attributable to chemisorption and it could be regenerated at relatively low temperature. This work provides a new way to synthesize MgO with a highly porous structure for CO2 adsorption.