Preparation and Characterization of Nitrogen-Containing Cellular Activated Carbon for CO2 and H2 Adsorption

Abstract

New monolithic nitrogen-containing microporous cellular activated carbon was successfully prepared from phenol-urea-formaldehyde (PUF) organic foam for CO2 and H2 adsorption and was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis (EA), a mechanical testing machine, N2-sorption and H2/CO2 sorption. The carbon yield was approximately 50% for carbonization and the burn off for activation ranged from 40% to 56%, which linearly increased with activation time. The macroporosity corresponded to the connected network of cells with diameters ranging from 100[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m to 600[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m, and the pinholes in the cell walls had diameters ranging from 1[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m to 2[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m. The micro/mesoporosity is located at the inner surface of the cells. Thus, higher adsorption kinetics than usual from activated carbon are expected. The developed carbon with the highest [Formula: see text] (1674 m2/g) and highest [Formula: see text] (0.86[Formula: see text]cm3/g) contained 1.5% nitrogen, had a CO2 adsorption capacity of 3.53[Formula: see text]mmol/g at 298[Formula: see text]K, and had an H2 adsorption capacity of 1.9[Formula: see text]wt.% at 77[Formula: see text]K, both at atmospheric pressure (1 bar), which were among the best in activated carbons from physical activation.