Activated Porous Carbon with an Ultrahigh Surface Area Derived from Waste Biomass for Acetone Adsorption, CO2 Capture, and Light Hydrocarbon Separation

Abstract

A well-developed porous structure and ultrahigh surface area of porous carbons are essential for challenging the gas adsorption. Herein, we synthesized biomass-based porous carbon with a facile and effectively adjustable pore structure. The maximum surface area of activated carbon is up to 3839 m2 g–1, and high micropores and narrow mesopores (1.94 mL g–1 with d < 3 nm) are obtained. The tailored porous carbons are extensively applied in the energy and environment fields, such as their improved acetone adsorption, CO2 capture, and light hydrocarbon separation. The porous carbon exhibits record-high acetone (i.e., 26.2 mmol·g–1 at 18 kPa and 25 °C) and CO2 uptake (i.e., 29.5 mmol·g–1 at 30 bar and 25 °C) among reported carbons at relative high pressure. Besides, the UC800 exhibits superior C2H6 and C3H8 uptake of 7.19 and 12.02 mmol·g–1, respectively. The C2H6/CH4 and C3H8/CH4 selectivity of the UC800 are up to 9.1–14.6 and 41.8–63.2, respectively. The simple method can open the door to design and develop highly porous carbons with a desired porous structure for the gas adsorption application.