Polyethylene glycol/silica and carbon black/silica xerogel composites as an adsorbent for $CO_2$ capture

Abstract

Mesoporous polyethylene glycol (PEG)/silica and carbon black (CB)/silica xerogel composites were prepared by the solgel method as an adsorbent for $CO_2$ adsorption. The $CO_2$ adsorption process was carried out under pure $CO_2$ atmosphere at room temperature in addition to ambient air. The xerogel composites with high surface area and pore volume showed better $CO_2$ adsorption capacity than the pure silica xerogel. After modifying samples with propylene diamine using the wet impregnation method, an increase in$CO_2$ adsorption capacity was observed for the samples except CB/silica xerogel composite. The highest $CO_2$ adsorption capacity was determined as approximately 0.80 mmol/g for amine modified PEG/silica xerogel composite under pure$CO_2$ exposure. According to the adsorption-desorption cyclic stability test, it was clear that the stable samples were obtained, which is a desirable property for all $CO_2$ adsorbents. The promising findings revealed that the xerogel composites can be efficiently used as a $CO_2$ adsorbent instead of conventional materials in many $CO_2$ adsorption applications. Additionally, it can be expected that the xerogel composites can provide an effective adsorption process without high-cost, complexity, corrosion, and toxicity problems.