Ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) as an adsorbent and membrane for separation of carbon dioxide (CO2)

Separation of carbon dioxide (CO2) from gaseous mixture is an important issue for the removal of CO2 in natural gas processing and power plants. The ordered mesoporous silicas (OMS) with uniform pore structure and high density of silanol groups, have attracted the interest of researchers for separation of carbon dioxide CO2) using adsorption process. These mesoporous silicas after functionalization with amino groups have been studied for the removal of CO2. The potential of functionalized ordered mesoporous silica membrane for separation of CO2 is also recognized. The present paper reviews the synthesis of mesoporous silicas and important issues related to the development of mesoporous silicas. Recent studies on the CO2 separation using ordered mesoporous silicas (OMS) as adsorbent and membrane are highlighted. The future prospectives of mesoporous silica membrane for CO2 adsorption and separation are also presented and discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.