High Capture Capacity Research Articles

Synthesis of Sodium Carbonate Based Solid Adsorbents and Their CO2 Adsorption Performance

AbstractPorous carbon is considered a promising adsorbent for carbon capture and sequestration, and pore structure and surface activity must be optimized in order to achieve high capture capacity and recycling performance. In this study, terephthalic acid and sodium hydroxide were used as raw materials to prepare sodium carbonate based porous carbon and metal oxide composites at TPA:NaOH:X(X = MgO, CaO, MgO/CaO, Mg(NO3)2,C, and Al2O3) = 1:1:2 and 600 °C. The analysis results show that the material MgO/Na2CO3 has the best CO2 adsorption capacity, and the adsorption capacity is 10.56cm3/g at 0 °C and 1 bar. The material Al2O3/Na2CO3 has the best thermal stability, and the MgO/Na2CO3 shows good recycling performance in the five cycle test. The high‐temperature calcination process makes the mesoporous structure of the material form, which makes the carbon composites show good capture performance, and sodium carbonate based solid adsorbents have good development and application prospects as CO2 capture and separation materials.

Development of a novel bio char for CO2 capture and biogas upgrade: Static and dynamic testing

The optimization of the pyrolysis of the spruce sawdust was conducted based on the yield, textural properties, and static capture capacity of the chars to generate a new micro porous char for biogas upgrade. The nature of the precursor (C: 45.68 %, H: 6.08 %, N: 0.15 %, and 0.34 % ash content) helped to tune the porosity of the char for capturing CO2 from gas streams and biogas. The optimization of the pyrolysis at 700 °C, a heating rate of 10 °C / min and holding time of 1 hour, produced a microporous char with high yield, CO2 capture capacity and CO2/CH4 selectivity. The presence of the oxygen and nitrogen-containing functional groups in the optimum char help in the selective capture of CO2. The static CO2 capture capacity of the optimum char was 1.98 mmol/g at atmospheric pressure and 25 °C (90 % CO2 stream). The CSD (700−10−60) have capture capacity of 1.50 mmol/g (at a feed gas stream of 50 % CO2 and adsorption temperature of 25 °C and 120 kPa) which is equivalent to Norit C and Calgon BPL. Hence, spruce sawdust can be used to produce efficient biochar for biogas upgrade (CO2 capture) owing to high capture capacity and CO2/CH4 selectivity (around 3) and easy regeneration of the biochar for 10 consecutive cycles.

Durably Superhydrophobic Magnetic Cobalt Ferrites for Highly Efficient Oil-Water Separation and Fast Microplastic Removal.

Microplastic pollution has become a primary global concern in the 21st century. Recyclable magnetic particles with micro-nanostructures are considered an efficient and economical way to remove microplastics from water. In this study, superhydrophobic magnetic cobalt ferrite particles were prepared by using a simple coprecipitation method combined with surface functionalization. The micromorphology, chemical composition, hysteresis loop, and surface contact angle of the functionalized cobalt ferrite were characterized. The separation efficiency and absorption capacity of cobalt ferrite particles in water-oil separation and microplastic removal were investigated. The results showed that the saturation magnetic field intensity of cobalt ferrite was 65.52 emu/g, the residual magnetization intensity (Mr) was 18.79 emu/g, and the low coercivity was 799.83 Oe. Cobalt ferrites had stable superhydrophobicity in the pH range of 1-13. The separation efficiency of cobalt ferrite powder for four oil-water mixture separations was higher than 94.2%. The separation efficiency was as high as 99.6% in the separation of the hexane and water mixtures. Due to the synergistic effect of the hydrophobic effect and van der Waals force, the functionalized magnetic cobalt ferrite had a high and stable microplastic removal efficiency and capture capacity. The removal efficiency of microplastics was close to 100%, and the capture capacity was 2.56 g/g. After ten microplastic removal cycles, the removal efficiency reached more than 98%, and the surface contact angle was still greater than 150°.

Construction of heterogeneous MOF-on-MOF for highly efficient gaseous iodine sequestration under static conditions

Considering the unexpected nuclear power waste emission and potential nuclear leakage, the exploration of robust materials for the effective capture and storage of radioactive iodine is of great importance but still remains a challenge. In this work, we report the rational synthesis of functionalized NH2-UiO-66-on-ZIF-67 architecture to enhance the static adsorption and retention of volatile iodine. Such MOF-on-MOF heterostructures was fabricated through seeding ZIF-67 core on the surface of NH2-UiO-66 satellite via a facile polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) regulated internal extended growth strategies. NH2-UiO-66-on-ZIF-67 exhibited unique core-satellite structure, which significantly promotes the binding interactions with iodine through synergizing of the N-rich imidazole moieties and surface functionalized amino groups within the porosity channels. As a result, the as fabricated NH2-UiO-66-on-ZIF-67 achieves enhanced mass diffusion and high capture capacity of 3600 mg/g for iodine vapor under static sorption conditions. Moreover, water vapor in humid conditions (relative humidity of 18 %) has almost no effect on the static iodine adsorption performance of the material. This study sheds light on a reliable MOF-on-MOF hybrid strategy for effective radioiodine treatment to ensure the safety nuclear waste management.

Hydrothermal synthesis of melamine-based porous organic polymer for the advanced adsorption of iodine

The release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels to produce energy contributes to severe climate change. Transitioning from fossil fuels to nuclear energy, which is free of carbon emissions, presents its own set of challenges, particularly the potential release of radioactive iodine in handling nuclear waste and in the instance of a nuclear accident. The ongoing research aimed to harness the advantages of porous organic polymers to capture iodine generated during nuclear fission by synthesizing them in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective hydrothermal process. Herein, a melamine-based porous organic polymer (MPOP-4), possessing reliable thermal and chemical stability, highly porous (SABET=195.48 m2/g), designed for iodine capture, is reported. The synthesis of MPOP-4 using melamine and uracil as basic building blocks showed high iodine vapor capture capacities in various media (6.30 g/g at 80 °C, 4833.15 mg/g from aqueous solution, and 1.98 g/g at 25 °C), accompanied by good regeneration ability. A significant abundance of nitrogen content, conjugated π-electron arrangement, and porous network make it an efficient iodine adsorbent. This study suggests the green nature (metal-free) of MPOP-4 and its ability to adsorb iodine.

Thermodynamic and CO2 sorption investigations on improved Li3BO3-based sorbents by NaOH addition

The development of new solid sorbents with high carbon capture capacity and good reversible sorption properties is considered a key factor for mitigating CO2 emissions. Tri-lithium borate (Li3BO3) has shown to be a high-capacity CO2 sorbent adequate for an intermediate temperature range (500–650 °C). However, the performance of this sorbent has been little studied in particular at low CO2 concentrations, requiring the introduction of changes in Li3BO3 to make it competitive. Here, highly efficient NaOH-modified Li3BO3 sorbents were synthesized by a simple two-step mechano-thermal method at low temperature using different amounts of NaOH. For the first time, the influence of increasing amounts of an additive on the standard enthalpy change of Li3BO3 as well as on the relation between CO2 pressure and temperature equilibrium was determined. A progressive rise in the standard enthalpy change and a decrease in the equilibrium CO2 pressure at a fixed temperature were observed with the increase in the amount of additive. Moreover, the NaOH addition to Li3BO3 improves its CO2 capture capacity, CO2 absorption rate and stability during carbonation/regeneration cycles. The CO2 capture capacity ranges between 50 wt% and 35 wt% at pure CO2 and 15 % CO2, respectively, for low amounts of NaOH added. Further studies showed that CO2 capture/desorption efficiency is kept high after 20 cycles at 525 °C and 15 % CO2. The improved performance of NaOH-modified Li3BO3 sorbents and the changes in the thermodynamic properties were associated with two factors: the partial substitution of boron by carbon in the Li3BO3 structure, and the formation of Li2CO3-Na2CO3 molten carbonates. Therefore, these NaOH-modified Li3BO3 materials represent attractive CO2 sorbents for moderate temperatures, applicable for post-combustion industrial processes.

Constructing 2D Polyphenols-Based Crosslinked Networks for Ultrafast and Selective Uranium Extraction from Seawater.

The role of tannins (TA), a well-known abundant and ecologically friendly chelating ligand, in metal capture has long been studied. Different kinds of TA-containing adsorbents are synthesized for uranium capture, while most adsorbents suffer from unfavorable adsorption kinetics. Herein, the design and preparation of a TA-containing 2D crosslinked network adsorbent (TANP) is reported. The ≈1.8-nanometer-thick TANP films curl up into micrometer-scale pores, which contribute to fast mass transfer and full exposure of active sites. The coordination environment of uranyl (UO2 2+) ions is explored by integrated analysis of U L3-edge XANES and EXAFS. Density functional theory calculations indicate the energetically favorable UO2 2+ binding. Consequently, TANP with excellent adsorption kinetics presents a high uranium capture capacity (14.62mg-Ug-Ads-1) and a high adsorption rate (0.97mgg-1day-1) together with excellent selectivity and biofouling resistance. Life cycle assessment and cost analysis demonstrate that TANP has tremendous potential for application in industrial-scale uranium extraction from seawater.

Development and Characterization of Polyethylenimine-Infiltrated Mesoporous Silica Foam Pellets for CO2 Capture.

Polyethylenimine (PEI) has been shown to be promising for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide and has potential for commercial scale-up globally. Laboratory scale processes include multiple steps, such as mixing, solvent extraction, vacuum application, sonication, and various flushes and activation steps. It is critical to properly control these operating parameters to achieve higher capture capacity as a result of the optimized material configuration. This study adopts previously published pelletization processes for PEI-infiltrated mesoporous foam silica (mesoporous silica foam) to uncover the adsorption mechanisms and optimize the associated fabrication steps, such as sonication, to achieve higher sorbent productivity. A high capture capacity was achieved at 46 °C for 75 wt % PEI loading (2.27 mmol/g) followed by PEI_MSF 70 (1.81 mmol/g) and PEI_MSF 80 (1.44 mmol/g). As part of the optimization, sonication parameters of frequency, amplitude, and time were modified for PEI_MSF 75 sorbent, which resulted in the highest uptake capacity of 3.04 mmol/g (sonicated at 40 kHz and a wave amplitude of 50% for 30 s). These preliminary results would tend to prove that sonication energy affects carbon capture capacity, although there is still a lack of understanding regarding the exact underlying mechanism, suggesting the need for further investigation. It is important to note that the present work is focused on the adsorption mechanisms and not desorption or durability of the capture performance. Ongoing research addresses these factors. This paper is intended to establish baseline DAC behavior of a promising capture medium and begins probing the optimization spectrum by considering the effects of sonication energy on adsorption. Ongoing work intends to address potential abbreviations of the full range of process steps and furthers the understanding of kinetics by considering the desorption and resorption attributes.

A hydrate-based post-combustion capture system integrated with cold energy: Thermodynamic analysis, process modeling and energy optimization

Carbon capture is a crucial part of global warming mitigation. Carbon capture via clathrate hydrate is an attractive approach due to its high capture capacity, high carbon dioxide purity, water-based benign process, ease of recycling, and robustness to contaminants. In this work, we propose a two-stage hydrate-based carbon dioxide separation system integrated with cold energy for carbon capture from flue gases. A thermodynamic cycle consisting of two sub-cycles was constructed to simulate the process. Operating conditions were optimized within the range of 274.15–282.15 K and 0.1–28.04 MPa, resulting in the lowest electricity consumption of 2.22 MJ/kg CO2 with 95.24 mol% CO2 purity and 65.97 % CO2 recovery. A higher CO2 recovery rate can be achieved by recycling the residual gas of Sub-cycle 2. Gas compression to the high operating pressure (16.01 MPa) is the major contributor to electricity consumption. By incorporating 100 % expansion work recovery from the high-pressure gases, the electricity consumption can be reduced to 0.43 MJ/kg CO2 (i.e., 0.119 kWh/kg CO2). A more realistic scenario assuming 80 % compression/pumping efficiency and 90 % expansion work recovery gives an electricity consumption of 1.16 MJ/kg CO2 (i.e., 0.322 kWh/kg CO2), representing an energy penalty of 33.1 % for a coal-fired power plant. Future direction for further improvement could be a paradigm shift to hydrate process with thermodynamic promoters, which can potentially reduce the operation pressure by over 90 % and thus cut down the energy consumption dramatically. This work established a framework to simulate the hydrate-based carbon capture process, evaluated its minimum energy consumption and examined how operating conditions affect the separation performance. The results could offer valuable guidelines for the design and optimization of real hydrate-based carbon capture systems.

Calcium-Based Metal-Organic Framework: Detection and Idiosyncratic Removal of Copper by Nano-Particle Deposition.

A novel calcium-based metal-organic framework (CaMOF@LSB) was designed and synthesized, exhibiting dual functionality for both selective detection and removal of Cu2+ ions from aqueous solutions. The framework's stability, including solvent and pH variations, was established with notable thermal resilience. Colorimetric Cu2+ detection (≥5 ppm) with a high capture capacity of 484.2 mg g-1 by CaMOF@LSB places this material among the few that ensure efficient colorimetric detection and high removal capabilities of Cu2+ ions. Batch adsorption experiments revealed pH-dependent behavior and competitive interactions. Langmuir and pseudo-second-order kinetics models aptly described adsorption isotherms and kinetics, respectively. Thermodynamic assessments confirmed spontaneous and endothermic adsorption. Mechanistically, nanoparticle deposition contributes to the Cu2+ uptake. CaMOF@LSB also exhibited one of the best removal behaviour of Cu2+ by means of oxide formation on the surface. Regeneration of CaMOF@LSB was achieved by simple sonication in 0.1 M aqueous NaOH solution. The recyclability was also tested up to 5 cycles, and it exhibited a small decrease in adsorption capacity observed across the cycles. This research presents a promising avenue for addressing heavy metal pollution using metal-organic frameworks, thereby offering potential applications in water purification and environmental pollution monitoring and remediation.

Synergistically electronic interacted PVDF/CdS/TiO2 organic-inorganic photocatalytic membrane for multi-field driven panel wastewater purification

Solar-driven wastewater purification technology is a promising candidate to solve the hazards of water contaminants. However, it is difficult for most of particulate photocatalysts to maintain durable photoactivity due to its micro/nano size. Herein, a synergistically electronic interacted membrane catalyst with large extending area and high pollutant capture capacity was processed based on a highly active CdS/TiO2 heterojunction and ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride for achieving highly efficient Cr6+-to-Cr3+ (CTC) reduction (1.6×10−2 min−1) and synchronous decomposition of organic matters (methylene blue (1.2×10−2 min−1) and bisphenol A (0.6×10−2 min−1)) under simulated sunlight (SSL, 74.1 mW·cm−2) irradiation following a durably steady photoactivity even being recycled for 20 times, which effectively avoided the hazards of secondary pollution. Subsequently, a tailor-made panel wastewater purification system was first built based on this membrane catalyst to drive CTC reduction and synchronous organic matter degradation, and high-efficiency purification performance was presented on this panel system under multi-field drive of light-activation and piezoelectric polarization. This work provides an insight for photocatalytic wastewater purification through membrane catalyst assisted panel technology.

Scalable confined-space microwave heating strategy enables the rapid preparation of N/O co-doped activated carbons with high gas capture capacity

Heteroatom doping is essential for enhancing the performance of activated carbons (ACs) in various environmental-related applications. Herein, a scalable confined-space microwave heating (CSMH) strategy is proposed and demonstrated to achieve minute-level fast preparation of N/O co-doping ACs with well-developed porosity. The introduction of confined space prevents the escape of nitrogenous and oxygenous volatiles, enabling the sufficient reaction for heteroatom doping. Therefore, the nitrogen content of MWC-0.5 (6.0 at.%) is higher than that of MW-0.5 (3.5 at.%) and CH-0.5 (4.3 at.%). This causes a nearly 50 % reduction in the consumption of nitrogenous reagents. Moreover, through CSMH strategy, N/O co-doped ACs (6.0 at% and 8.1 at% for N and O, respectively) with high pore volume (0.53 cm3 g−1) can be acquired to achieve an excellent adsorption performance for toluene (0.31 g g−1) and CO2 (3.97 mmol g−1 at 25 °C and 1 bar) and outstanding CO2/N2 selectivity (189 at 0.02 bar). This work for the first time develops a scalable confined-space N/O co-doped strategy for enhancing the chemical activity of ACs with low-spend nitrogenous reagents.

Effects of plant diversity on productivity strengthen over time due to trait-dependent shifts in species overyielding

Plant diversity effects on community productivity often increase over time. Whether the strengthening of diversity effects is caused by temporal shifts in species-level overyielding (i.e., higher species-level productivity in diverse communities compared with monocultures) remains unclear. Here, using data from 65 grassland and forest biodiversity experiments, we show that the temporal strength of diversity effects at the community scale is underpinned by temporal changes in the species that yield. These temporal trends of species-level overyielding are shaped by plant ecological strategies, which can be quantitatively delimited by functional traits. In grasslands, the temporal strengthening of biodiversity effects on community productivity was associated with increasing biomass overyielding of resource-conservative species increasing over time, and with overyielding of species characterized by fast resource acquisition either decreasing or increasing. In forests, temporal trends in species overyielding differ when considering above- versus belowground resource acquisition strategies. Overyielding in stem growth decreased for species with high light capture capacity but increased for those with high soil resource acquisition capacity. Our results imply that a diversity of species with different, and potentially complementary, ecological strategies is beneficial for maintaining community productivity over time in both grassland and forest ecosystems.

The flexible DADM-based covalent organic frameworks constructed by flexible knots and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane as a linker for fluorescence sensing nitrophenol and adsorping iodine

Enrichment of nitro-aromatic compounds (NACs) and radioactive iodine seriously threatens the health of humans, therefore, trace detection of NACs and the efficient capture and storage of radioactive iodine have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. Herein, we present two highly efficient flexible DADM-based covalent organic frameworks (DADM-based COFs) for the fluorescence sensing of o-nitrophenol (o-NP) and p-nitrophenol (p-NP) and reversible iodine capture, namely TDADM and HDADM. The resulting TDADM and HDADM have excellent thermal and chemical stability, some crystallinity and high BET surface areas of 1035 and 958 m2 g−1, respectively. For fluorescence sensing, TDADM and HDADM show high sensitivity to o-NP and p-NP with quenching constants (Ksv) of 6.77 × 103 and 3.39 × 104 L mol−1, respectively. The fluorescence quenching of TDADM is caused by the action of photo-induced electron transfer (PET) processes. The fluorescence quenching of HDADM is caused by the co-action of PET and resonance energy transfer (RET) processes. For iodine capture, TDADM and HDADM exhibit high iodine capture capacities, which are severally up to 4.08 and 5.32 g g−1. Such high iodine adsorption amounts are caused by the electron transfer of the electron-rich flexible DADM-based COFs to the electron-deficient I2 into the polyiodide anion complexes.

High Gravity-Enhanced Direct Air Capture: A Leap Forward in CO2 Adsorption Technology

Given the global pressure of climate change and ecological equilibrium, there is an urgent need to develop effective carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology. Due to its comprehensiveness and flexibility, Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology has emerged as a vital supplement to traditional emission reduction methods. This study aims to innovate Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology by utilizing the ultrasonic impregnation method to load Tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) onto alumina (Al2O3) as the adsorbent. Furthermore, high gravity adsorption technology is integrated to significantly enhance the efficiency of DAC. Characterization tests, including BET, FTIR, TG, XRD, and SEM-EDS, confirm the structural stability and high capture capacity of the adsorbent. Additionally, this study demonstrates the rapid and efficient capture of CO2 from the air using TEPA-Al2O3 adsorbent under high gravity conditions for the first time. Under optimal conditions with TEPA loading at 15.06%, a high gravity factor of 2.67, and a gas flow rate of 30 L/min, TEPA-Al2O3 achieves a CO2 adsorption capacity of 48.5 mg/g in RAB, which is an improvement of 15.56 mg/g compared to traditional fixed-bed technology. Moreover, it reaches adsorption saturation faster under high gravity conditions, exhibiting a significantly higher adsorption rate compared to traditional fixed-bed systems. Furthermore, the adsorption process better conforms to the Avrami model. Steam stripping regeneration is utilized to regenerate the adsorbent, demonstrating excellent regeneration performance and stable adsorption capacity, thereby proving its feasibility and economic benefits as a DAC technology.

Autohydrolysis treatment of bamboo and potassium oxalate (K2C2O4) activation of bamboo product for CO2 capture utilization

Typically, the hydroxide agents, such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, which have corrosive properties, are used in the carbon activation process. In this study, potassium oxalate (K2C2O4), a less toxic and non-corrosive activating reagent, was used to synthesize activated carbon from the solid residue after autohydrolysis treatment. The effect of the autohydrolysis treatment and the ratio of the K2C2O4/solid residue are presented in this study. Moreover, the comparison between the activated carbon from bamboo and biochar from the solid residue are also reported. The resulting activated carbon from the solid residue exhibited a high surface area of up to 1432 m2·g−1 and a total pore volume of up to 0.88 cm3·g−1. The autohydrolysis treatment enhanced the microporosity properties compared to those without pretreatment of the activated carbon. The microporosity of the activated carbon from the solid residue was dominated by the pore width at 0.7 nm, which is excellent for CO2 storage. At 25 °C and 1.013 × 105 Pa, the CO2 captured reached up to 4.1 mmol·g−1. On the other hand, the ratio between K2C2O4 and the solid residue has not played a critical role in determining the porosity properties. The ratio of the K2C2O4/solid residue of 2 could help the carbon material reach a highly microporous textural property that produces a high carbon capture capacity. Our finding proved the benefit of using the solid residue from the autohydrolysis treatment as a precursor material and offering a more friendly and sustainable activation carbon process.

A New Porphyrin-based Covalent Organic Framework with High Iodine Capture Capacity and I-doping Enhanced Conductivity.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are porous organic materials with well-defined and uniform structure. The material is an excellent candidate as a solid adsorbent for iodine adsorption. In the present study, we report the synthesis of COF with porphyrin moiety, TF-TA-COF, by solvothermal reaction, which was characterized by XRD, solid-state 13 C NMR, IR, TGA, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. TF-TA-COF showed a high specific surface area of 443 m2 g-1 , and exhibited good adsorption performance for iodine vapor, with an adsorption capacity of 2.74 g g-1 . XPS and Raman spectrum indicated that a hybrid of physisorption and chemisorption took place between host COF and iodine molecules. The electric properties of iodine-loaded TF-TA-COF were also studied. After doped with iodine, the conductivity of the material increased by more than 5 orders of magnitude. The photoconductivity of I2 -doped COF was also studied and TF-TA-COF showed doping-enhanced photocurrent generation.

Ultrafast and highly selective gold recovery with high capture capacity from electronic waste by upconversion of a silsesquioxane-based hybrid luminescent aerogel

To maintain sustainable development and improve resource utilization, there is an urgent need to recover gold using an eco-friendly, efficient and highly-selective method.

Sequential double chemical activation of biochar enables the fast and high-capacity capture of tetracycline

Sequential melamine and KOH activation leads to activated biochar with enormous specific surface area and enriched N/O sites for fast, high-capacity, repeatable, and spontaneous tetracycline capture, primarily driven by hydrogen bonding interactions.

Solar-powered simultaneous highly efficient seawater desalination and highly specific target extraction with smart DNA hydrogels.

Obtaining freshwater and important minerals from seawater with solar power facilitates the sustainable development of human society. Hydrogels have demonstrated great solar-powered water evaporation potential, but highly efficient and specific target extraction remains to be expanded. Here, we report the simultaneous highly efficient seawater desalination and specific extraction of uranium with smart DNA hydrogels. The DNA hydrogel greatly promoted the evaporation of water, with the water evaporation rate reached a high level of 3.54 kilograms per square meter per hour (1 kilowatt per square meter). Simultaneously, uranyl-specific DNA hydrogel exhibited a high capture capacity of 5.7 milligrams per gram for uranium from natural seawater due to the rapid ion transport driven by the solar powered interfacial evaporation and the high selectivity (10.4 times over vanadium). With programmable functions and easy-to-use devices, the system is expected to play a role in future seawater treatment.