Enhanced CO2 Capture by Sorption on Electrospun Poly (Methyl Methacrylate)

Abstract

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is characterized by high CO2 capture yield under mild pressures and temperatures. A morphological modification of powdery amorphous PMMA (pPMMA) is carried out by electrospinning to increase the surface/volume ratio of the resulting electrospun PMMAs (ePMMAs). This modification improves the kinetics and the capture yields. The rate constants observed for ePMMAs are two to three times higher than those for pPMMA, reaching 90% saturation values within 5–7 s. The amount of sorbed CO2 is up to eleven times higher for ePMMAs at 1 °C, and the highest difference in captured CO2 amount is observed at the lowest tested pressure of 1 MPa. The operating life of the ePMMAs shows a 5% yield loss after ten consecutive runs, indicating good durability. Spent electrospun PMMAs after several cycles of CO2 sorption-desorption can be regenerated by melting and again electrospinning the molten mass, resulting in a CO2 capture performance that is undistinguishable from that observed with fresh ePMMA. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopies show a reduction in surface roughness after gas exposure, possibly due to the plasticization effect of CO2. This study shows the potential of electrospun PMMAs as solid sorbents for carbon capture from natural gas or pre-combustion and oxyfuel combustion processes.

Rational Fabrication of Benzene-Linked Porous Polymers for Selective CO2 Capture

“…Different from the solvent adsorption process, the usage of solid adsorbents has the advantages of simple preparation, low cost, and environmental friendliness, which have been considered promising alternative methods for the effective removal of CO 2 . Up to now, a variety of porous materials, including metal oxides [11][12][13], mesoporous silica [14,15], activated carbon [16][17][18][19], porous organic polymers (POPs) [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28], metal organic frameworks (MOFs) [29][30][31], and natural zeolites [32,33] has been prepared for the separation of CO 2 from mixed gases such as biogas and natural gas, showing enhanced capture performance. With widespread attention from the scientific and industrial communities, the design and preparation of adsorbent materials with higher adsorption capacity and lower costs have become the focus direction of solid adsorbent research at present.…”