Separation of carbon dioxide using selected porous materials: a review

Abstract

The use of porous adsorbents for CO2 capture and separation is presented, highlighting the important advances in their research over the past decades. These adsorbents find application commercially due to their tunable pore size and shape, their applicability over wide range of temperatures and pressures. Surface modification using amines is carried out in order to improve their affinity and selectivity towards CO2. The commercial/industrial applications of these adsorbents in cyclic adsorption process (PSA, VSA, TSA) are also discussed. Adsorption technology using solid sorbents with high selectivity and affinity towards CO2 could provide alternative over conventional techniques. Some of these sorbents have been shown to effectively adsorb CO2 where the gas stream contain vapor or moisture, as such it is possible to eliminate the dehumidification step. In addition, these materials are synthesized from relatively cheap source and also occur naturally.