CO2 Capture over Activated Carbon Derived from Pulverized Semi-Coke

Pulverized semi-coke was employed as raw material to prepare activated carbon via steam activation and evaluated as a CO2 adsorbent. The effects of the preparation parameters including demineralization, activation temperature, activation time and steam flow on the structure and performance of the synthesized activated carbon were investigated. It was found that the microporous structure of activated carbon was greatly influenced by demineralization order and activation conditions. Demineralization before activation significantly increased the microporous structure of the activated carbon, which was ascribed to the removal of the inorganic fraction. Compared to the commercial activated carbon, activated carbon obtained by employing 150 mL/min steam to treat the demineralized pulverized semi-coke at 700 degrees C for 70 min possessed a higher CO2/N-2 selectivity of 34.4 and good cyclic performance, which was due to its narrow microporosity of 0.55 nm. Furthermore, it was proved that a pore size of smaller than 1 nm is favorable for CO2 sorption.

Automated summary

In this study, pulverized semi-coke was used to prepare activated carbon as a CO2 adsorbent via steam activation. The effects of preparation parameters on the structure and performance of the activated carbon were investigated. It was found that demineralization before activation greatly increased the microporous structure of the activated carbon, and pores smaller than 1 nm were favorable for CO2 sorption.