Systematic study of dynamic CO2 adsorption on activated carbons derived from different biomass

In this work, biomass wastes (chestnut shells, walnut shells and macadamia nut shells) were used as raw materials, and a series of activated carbons (ACs) with high micropore percentage were prepared by hydrothermal carbonization and chemical activation methods, and their dynamic CO2 adsorption capacity was systematically studied. Then the effect of activation conditions and adsorption conditions were all investigated, and the hydrothermal conditions were evaluated in detail. In particular, the relationship between the CO2 uptake and textural properties such as micropore percentage and pore structure was discussed. The results show that the desired AC derived from walnut shells show superior CO2 uptake up to 2.24 mmol g−1 under the dynamic condition, which is comparable with the literature reported. It is also found that the micropore percentage has an important influence on the application of AC for CO2 capture. Both carbonization and activation conditions have significant impact on the CO2 uptake of AC. In addition, to control the CO2 inlet flow rate is essential to obtain a better adsorption effect. This work will give an effective guide to the fabrication of biomass derived AC, particular in preparation of AC based CO2 adsorbents.