Phenanthrene Derived Nanoporous Hypercrosslinked Polymeric Adsorbent for CO2 Capture from Flue Gas and Removal of Organic Dyes from Wastewater

Phenanthrene, a prime polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollutant, is utilized to develop a nanoporous hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbent (poly-PHEN-C) through the microwave-assisted process from catalyst anhydrous AlCl3 and solvent CHCl3. Nanoporous poly-PHEN-C proves to be a highly effective adsorbent for adsorbing CO2 from flue gas and removing organic dyes from wastewater. CO2 capture capacity of 3.2 mmol g–1 at 298 K and 1 bar is ascribed to the combined effect of surface area (1472 m2 g–1), micropores (1.1, 1.7 nm), pore volume (0.73 cm3 g–1), and π electrons. The separation selectivity of the gas mixture, i.e., CO2/N2 (15:85), is estimated from the ideal adsorbed solution theory model. Moreover, poly-PHEN-C is employed for removal of cationic (crystal violet, CV) and anionic (alizarin red S, ARS) dyes from aqueous solutions. In the batch process, it exhibits adsorption capacities of 161 mg g–1 for CV and 120 mg g–1 for ARS. In the continuous fixed-bed column process, breakthrough capacity of 300 mg g–1 is achieved for CV. Thus, the present study offers an eco-friendly approach for effectively managing three categories of hazardous pollutants, namely, PAHs, greenhouse gas CO2, and organic dyes, a sustainable strategy for environmental management.