One-step conversion of agro-wastes to nanoporous carbons: Role in separation of greenhouse gases

Effect of hydrothermal pH values on the morphology of special microspheres of lignin-based porous carbon and the mechanism of carbon dioxide adsorption

The study reports the economic and sustainable syntheses of a lignin-based porous carbon (LPC) for CO2 capture application. The pH values of hydrothermal solution affected the polymerization and aromatization of spheroidization, with morphological changes from blocky to microsphere. In addition, the reliable mechanisms of CO2 adsorption were proposed by combining experiments with Gaussian16 simulations based on DFT. The electrostatic attraction of oxygen-containing functional groups and the diffusivity resistance of CO2 in the pores are the key factors for the CO2 adsorption. ​The carboxyl groups have the strongest electrostatic attraction to CO2. LPC-pH 1 has the highest carboxyl group content, possessing a CO2 adsorption capacity of up to 5.10 mmol/g at 0℃, 1 bar. Furthermore, CO2 diffusion resistance became a main factor as the adsorption temperature increases. The innovative combination of quantum chemical calculations and microscopic properties provides a viable pathway for an insight into the future control of lignin-based carbon formation.

Apricot Seed Shells and Walnut Shells as Unconventional Sugars and Lignin Sources

The present study focuses on using apricot seeds shells and walnut shells as a potential renewable material for biorefinery in Ukraine. The goal of the research work was to determine the relationship between the chemical composition of solid residues from biomass after acid pretreatment with H₂SO₄, alkaline pretreatment with NaOH, and a steam explosion pretreatment and the recovery of sugars and lignin after further enzymatic hydrolysis with the application of an industrial cellulase Cellic CTec2. Apricot seeds shells and walnut shells consist of lots of cellulose (35.01 and 24.19%, respectively), lignin (44.55% and 44.63%, respectively), hemicelluloses (10.77% and 26.68%, respectively), and extractives (9.97% and 11.41%, respectively), which affect the efficiency of the bioconversion of polysaccharides to sugars. The alkaline pretreatment was found to be more efficient in terms of glucose yield in comparison with that of acid and steam explosion, and the maximum enzymatic conversions of cellulose reached were 99.7% and 94.6% for the solids from the apricot seeds shells and the walnut shells, respectively. The maximum amount of lignin (82%) in the residual solid was obtained during the processing of apricot seed shells submitted to the acid pretreatment. The amount of lignin in the solids interferes with the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. The results pave the way for the efficient and perspective utilization of shells through the use of inexpensive, simple and affordable chemical technologies, obtaining value-added products, and thus, reducing the amount of environmental pollution (compared to the usual disposal practice of direct burning) and energy and material external dependency (by taking advantage of these renewable, low-cost materials).

Lignin Based Activated Carbon Using H3PO4 Activation

Activated carbon (AC) with a very high surface area of over 2000 m²/g was produced from low sulfur acid hydrotropic lignin (AHL) from poplar wood using H₃PO₄ at a moderate temperature of 450 °C (AHL-AC6). ACs with similar surface areas were also obtained under the same activation condition from commercial hardwood alkali lignin and lignosulfonate. Initial evaluation of AC performance was carried out using nitrogen adsorption-desorption and dye adsorption. AHL-AC6 exhibited the best specific surface area and dye adsorption performance. Furthermore, the adsorption results of congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) showed AHL-AC6 had greater adsorption capacity than those reported in literature. The dye adsorption data fit to the Langmuir model well. The fitting parameter suggests the adsorption is nearly strong and near irreversible, especially for MB. The present study for the first time provided a procedure for producing AC from lignin with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area >2000 m²/g using low cost and low environmental impact H₃PO₄ at moderate temperatures.

Lignin materials for adsorption: Current trend, perspectives and opportunities

Lignin is a highly aromatic low value biomass residue, which can be utilized for chemicals, fuels and materials production. In recent years significant attention has focused on adsorbent materials from lignin. However, only 5% of available lignin is exploited worldwide, thus significant opportunities still exist for materials development. This review summarizes recent research advances in lignin-based adsorbents, with a particular emphasis on lignin, its modification and carbon materials derived from this abundant feedstock. Lignin derived activated carbons have been utilized for air pollutant adsorption (e.g. CO₂, SO₂ and H₂S), while modified lignin materials have been developed for the removal of organic dyes and organics (like methylene blue, Procion Blue MX-R and phenols), heavy metals (such as Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd), or recovery of noble metals (e.g., Pd, Au and Pt). Future perspectives highlight how green chemistry approaches for developing lignin adsorbents can generate added value processes.

Synthesis of Nitrogen and Sulfur Codoped Nanoporous Carbons from Algae: Role in CO2 Separation

Nitrogen and sulfur codoped and completely renewable carbons were synthesized from two types of algae, Spirulina Platensis and Chlorella Vulgaris, without any additional nitrogen fixation reaction. The type of activation agents, char-forming temperature, activation agent-to-char ratio, and activation temperature were all varied to optimize the reaction conditions for this synthesis. The maximum Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and total pore volumes of the carbons were 2685 m²/g and 1.4 cm³/g, respectively. The nitrogen and sulfur contents of the carbons were in the range of 0.9-5.69 at. % and 0.05-0.2 at. %, respectively. The key nitrogen functionalities were pyridinic, amino, and pyridonic/pyrrolic groups, whereas the key sulfur functionalities were S-C, O-S-C, and SO _x groups. CO₂ adsorption isotherms were measured at 273, 298, and 313 K, and the ideal adsorbed solution theory was employed to calculate the selectivity of adsorption of CO₂ over N₂ and simulate binary adsorption isotherms. The adsorption results demonstrated that the CO₂ adsorption amount and the heat of CO₂ adsorption were higher for carbons with higher nitrogen content, confirming the influence of nitrogen functionality in CO₂ adsorption. The overall results suggested that these algae-derived renewable carbons can serve as potential adsorbents for CO₂ separation from N₂.

Micro-mesoporous carbons from original and pelletized rice husk via one-step catalytic pyrolysis

This paper studied the KOH-catalyzed pyrolysis of rice husk (RH) and its pellet (RHP) at a high temperature (750 °C) for activated bio-carbons production. The mass ratio of KOH and biomass greatly impacted the pyrolysis kinetic and biochar property. The KOH catalysis (mass ratio: 1) reduced significantly the activation energy to 41 kJ/mol. During carbonization with KOH, the in-situ generated K₂CO₃ tailored the morphology and size of the self-template (SiO₂ nanoparticles), giving rise to the chars with the open foam-like porous architectures enrich in micro- and meso-pores. Thus, the KOH activation via one-step pyrolysis could produce the micro-mesoporous carbons (e.g., RH-char 1 and RHP-char 1) with high specific surface areas and high content of oxygen-functionalities. Furthermore, the hierarchical porous carbons have high potential applications in adsorption process and electrochemical energy storage (e.g., supercapacitor) because of their unique physicochemical properties.