Ordered hierarchical porous carbon derived from vascular bundles for efficient and selective CO₂ capture

Abstract

Utilization of carbon-based materials is crucial for mitigating CO₂ emissions. However, practical materials for CO₂ capture remain challenging due to limitations in adsorption capacity and rate. Inspired by the unique structural features of biomass materials, high-performance hierarchical porous carbon was prepared using vascular plants. The ordered arrangement structure effectively improved the adsorption capacity and rate of the material by optimizing the pore structure. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) was used as an activator to synthesize microporous carbon with an ordered hierarchical structure. The properties of hierarchical porous carbon were characterized. The experimental results indicate that porous carbon prepared from loofah complex has excellent CO₂ adsorption capacity. The highest adsorption capacity is 4.09 mmol/g when the activation temperature is 700 °C. The selectivity (15/85) for the binary gas mixture CO₂/N₂ was 20, and the recoverability was good after 10 cycles. The hierarchical porous carbon derived from loofah showed excellent adsorption performance and has potential in various applications.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

CO ₂ capture / Adsorbents / Porous carbon / Vascular bundle / Ordered hierarchical structure / Selective adsorption

Highlight

	● Ordered hierarchical porous carbons were prepared from waste biomass materials.
	● The maximum CO2 capacity of porous carbons was 4.09 mmol/g at 25 °C.
	● Nitrogen doped porous carbons exhibited excellent CO2/N2 selectivity.

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