In industrial fields, hydrogen-containing flue gases generally contain a certain amount of CO2 and N2. After removing CO2, the raffinate gases can be used in various applications to mitigate carbon emissions. Furthermore, the concentrated CO2-rich extract contributes to efficient CO2 capture. Silica-alumina gel can be a high potential adsorbent because of its high CO2 adsorption capacity and energy-saving desorption. Three different silica-alumina gels with different amounts of alumina (FJ, KD, and WS) were compared to study the impact of the alumina content on the adsorption characteristics. The adsorption behaviors of CO2 and N2 were measured at 293K, 308K, and 323K at pressures up to 1000 kPa. The isotherms correlated with the dual-site Langmuir model, showing that the adsorption capacity for CO2 was much higher than that for N2 across all the adsorbents. The surface areas and adsorption capacities followed the opposite order of alumina content: FJ > KD > WS. However, the difference intervals in the isotherms did not align consistently with the alumina content, but the micropore volume changed by alumina contributed highly to the adsorption capacity. In the adsorption kinetic analysis, the diffusional time constants and kinetic parameters in a non-isothermal adsorption kinetic model showed minor dependence on pressure and temperature. The adsorption rate was higher for N2 than for CO2. It increased with alumina content, following the order WS > KD >> FJ. The results contribute to the establishment of guidelines for the selection of silica-alumina gel and the design of the adsorption process.
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