Tailoring of 3D printed polyethylenimine functionalized MCM-41 based monoliths and scrutiny on CO2 adsorption characteristics

Abstract

Amine functionalized mesoporous silica materials have emerged as promising adsorbents in terms of CO2 capture. Despite the noteworthy advancement in the development of novel adsorbents, commercial implementation of solid-gas contactors in real-time application is challenging. This is because, the conventional packed bed systems exhibit high-pressure drop, poor mass as well as heat transfer characteristics, attrition, and dusting issue. Therefore, it is pre-requisite to develop definite structured configurations in view of industrial applications. In the current work, 3D printing technique is used to fabricate PEI functionalized MCM-41 based structured configuration and their CO2 adsorption performance is investigated. In this study, MCM-41 is subjected to organic modification using PEI entities with different molecular weights (MW ∼ 600, 1200, 1800) and formulated into 3D printable ceramic ink using appropriate binders and plasticizers. The ceramic ink showed shear thinning behavior when the plasticizer is minimal in the formulation. The ceramic ink is then processed into three-dimensional configurations using pneumatic extrusion technique and their physicochemical characteristics are analyzed in addition to their powder counterparts. The current work aims to envisage the influence of molecular weight of organic moiety used for the functionalization of MCM-41 on the CO2 uptake capacity of 3D printed monoliths at different temperature conditions (30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 ℃). Through this study, we aim to tailor the design of 3D printed polyethylenimine functionalized MCM-41 based monoliths and assess their CO2 adsorption properties, selectivity, and stability across multiple cycles. By addressing these aspects, our research contributes to the field by advancing the understanding of tailored adsorbent materials for CO2 capture and highlighting the potential of 3D printing technology in fabricating structured adsorbents for industrial applications.