Adsorption of carbon dioxide by palm shell-based activated carbon modified with Polyethyleneimine (Pei) and ammonia solution

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the components of fuel gas and the product of combustion, and is also one of the primary greenhouse gases, contributing to the increase of the earth’s surface temperature and producing long term climate changes. Much attention has been paid to the global warming effect caused by the excessive emission of carbon dioxide. Adsorption with solid adsorbents (Activated Carbon) is one of the most promising options due to its low energy consumption, low equipment costs, and easiness for application. AC has been established as effective adsorbents for the removal of a wide variety of pollutants from gaseous environment due to its exceptionally high surface areas, well-developed internal microporosity structure as well as the presence of a wide spectrum of surface functional groups. This study was carried out to increase the efficiency of industrial AC adsorption of CO2. The AC is modified with the PEI and ammonia solution. Fixed-bed adsorption with virgin, PEI and ammonia impregnated AC as a media of removal of CO2 gases were conducted. CO2 flowrate was 10, 20, 30 ml/min with 1 hour adsorption period. Adsorption capacity follow by PEI/AC > 1.6 M of Ammonia/AC > virgin AC. 20 ml/min flowrate of CO2 showed highest adsorption capacities for all treated media.