CO2 Adsorption Performance on Surface-Functionalized Activated Carbon Impregnated with Pyrrolidinium-Based Ionic Liquid

The serious environmental issues associated with CO2 emissions have triggered the search for energy efficient processes and CO2 capture technologies to control the amount of gas released into the atmosphere. One of the suitable techniques is CO2 adsorption using functionalized sorbents. In this study, a functionalized activated carbon (AC) material was developed via the wet impregnation technique. The AC was synthesized from a rubber seed shell (RSS) precursor using chemical activation and was later impregnated with different ratios of [bmpy][Tf2N] ionic liquid (IL). The AC was successfully functionalized with IL as confirmed by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy analyses. Incorporation of IL resulted in a reduction in the surface area and total pore volume of the parent adsorbent. Bare AC showed the largest SBET value of 683 m2/g, while AC functionalized with the maximum amount of IL showed 14 m2/g. A comparative analysis of CO2 adsorption data revealed that CO2 adsorption performance of AC is majorly affected by surface area and a pore-clogging effect. Temperature has a positive impact on the CO2 adsorption capacity of functionalized AC due to better dispersion of IL at higher temperatures. The CO2 adsorption capacity of AC (30) increased from 1.124 mmol/g at 25 °C to 1.714 mmol/g at 40 °C.