A polymeric suspension of amine functionalized silica nanoparticles derived from Moonj grass for the carbon capture and storage applications

Abstract

Herewith, amine functionalization of low cost support from a novel and sustainable source has been entrenched to improve the carbon dioxide (CO2) capture efficiency. The support used is silica nanoparticles (SNPs), derived from a commonly available weed grass namely, Moonj (Saccharum munja L.). The amine functionality was anchored over the SNPs’s surface to obtain amine-functionalized SNPs (AFSNPs) using one step process. The SNPs and AFSNPs were characterized with FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, and BET to confirm the structural and textural properties. Subsequently, AFSNPs were suspended in a polymeric solution of 1000 ppm hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) forming an AFSNP-HPAM nano-fluid. The nano-fluid remained stable for over 21 days and no sign of sedimentation was observed. Increasing the AFSNPs’s concentration in the nano-fluid increased the viscosity of the nano-fluid while increasing the amine loading over SNPs did not much affect the base viscosity. The nano-fluid showed improved CO2 absorption property for AFSNPs over SNPs. This improved CO2 absorption property can be attributed to the synergy between polymer and AFSNPs. The inclusion of the AFSNPs in the polymer matrix also enhanced thermal stability of polymer at high temperatures. Thus, the utilization of these AFSNPs is proposed in subsurface applications for effective carbon utilization and storage.