Biomass Valorization to Produce Porous Carbons: Applications in CO2 Capture and Biogas Upgrading to Biomethane—A Mini-Review

Abstract

Porous carbon materials, derived from biomass wastes and/or as by-products, are considered versatile, economical and environmentally sustainable. Recently, their high adsorption capacity has led to an increased interest in several environmental applications related to separation/purification both in liquid- and gas-phases. Specifically, their use in carbon dioxide (CO2) capture/sequestration has been a hot topic in the framework of gas adsorption applications. Cost effective biomass porous carbons with enhanced textural properties and high CO2 uptakes present themselves as attractive alternative adsorbents with potential to be used in CO2 capture/separation, apart from zeolites, commercial activated carbons and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The renewable and sustainable character of the precursor of these bioadsorbents must be highlighted in the context of a circular-economy and emergent renewable energy market to reach the EU climate and energy goals. This mini-review summarizes the current understandings and discussions about the development of porous carbons derived from bio-wastes, focusing their application to capture CO2 and upgrade biogas to biomethane by adsorption-based processes. Biogas is composed by 55–65 v/v% of methane (CH4) mainly in 35–45 v/v% of CO2. The biogas upgraded to bio-CH4 (97%v/v) through an adsorption process yields after proper conditioning to high quality biomethane and replaces natural gas of fossil source. The circular-economy impact of bio-CH4 production is further enhanced by the use of biomass-derived porous carbons employed in the production process.

Experimental investigation on using adsorbent for post‐combustion carbon dioxide capture from CI engine exhaust

“…At maximum engine load, 3 kg adsorbent adsorbs a maximum of 27% and 36% of CO 2 emissions than that by 0.75 kg adsorbent in the D100 and JME20 operations, respectively. This is mainly due to the excellent surface affinity and active pores in the palm shell‐based adsorbent 41–43 . Overall, it is found that palm shell‐based adsorbent exhibits significant CO 2 adsorption capacity in both operations.…”

“…This is mainly due to the excellent surface affinity and active pores in the palm shell-based adsorbent. [41][42][43] Overall, it is found that palm shell-based adsorbent exhibits significant CO 2 adsorption capacity in both operations. The adsorption capacity of the adsorbent is determined by varying the moisture content of the adsorbent from 0% to 25% at a regular interval of 5%.…”

Microporous N-Doped Carbon Obtained from Salt Melt Pyrolysis of Chitosan toward Supercapacitor and Oxygen Reduction Catalysts

“…Biomass, as the most abundant renewable resource, is currently intensively used for biofuels/chemicals production or can serve as a precursor for the production of porous carbon materials [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Chitosan (CS) is an N -deacetylated product of chitin, which is easily soluble in solvents capable of disrupting hydrogen bonds, e.g., dilute aqueous solutions of organic and mineral acids or some ionic liquids.…”

Influence of ultra-micropore volume of activated carbons prepared from noble mung bean on the adsorption properties of CO2, CH4, and N2

“…Similarly, the amount of CO 2 in the landfill gas as well as in the coal bed methane needs to be reduced to increase the heat energy efficiency and to reduce global warming when methane is used as an energy resource. 4,5 A commercial technique for separating CO 2 uses an amine absorption method. However, it consumes a lot of energy and causes corrosion of related equipment.…”