CO2 Capture in Chemically and Thermally Modified Activated Carbons Using Breakthrough Measurements: Experimental and Modeling Study

The development of adsorption-based technologies for CO2 capture in the postcombustion processes requires finding materials with high capacity of adsorption and low cost of preparation. In this study, the modification of a commercial activated carbon (Norit ROX 0.8), considered as a solid adsorbent for CO2 capture, and the effects of different methods of activations, chemically (hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and urea) and thermally (at 800 degrees C) on adsorption performance, have been investigated. Then, CO2 adsorption capacity was studied at different temperatures and pressures to evaluate the effects of various agents on sample performance. The textural properties of the samples were determined using adsorption-desorption isotherms of nitrogen at -196 degrees C. Finally, the obtained data were modeled by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Langmuir isotherm. The results showed that the prepared sample by successive treatments with nitric acid, urea, and thermal calcination has a higher uptake capacity than other modified samples.