Thermodynamics of CO2 adsorption on cellulose‐derived biochar prepared in ionic liquid

Abstract This work focused on thermodynamic analysis of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) adsorption on a promising biochar as a CO 2 adsorbent. The biochar was prepared by catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose material in ionic liquid at moderate temperature. The adsorption characteristics, such as adsorption capacity, interfacial potential, Gibbs free energy change, enthalpy change, entropy change, and internal energy change, influenced by adsorption temperature and gas pressure, were systematically investigated. The results indicated that CO 2 adsorption on cellulose‐derived biochar was a spontaneous, physical, exothermic, and entropic decrement process, accompanied by adsorption capacity of 5.2 mmol/g and interfacial potential of −18.2 J/g at 273 K and 100 kPa. The process could be well described by adsorption potential theory. Then a quasi‐Gaussian distribution of site energy was verified for CO 2 adsorption. The interfacial potential was found to be a monotropic function of the amount of CO 2 adsorbed, and the latter was actually a differential of the former via adsorption potential. The positive temperature effect and negative pressure effect on negative Gibbs free energy change indicated that reducing adsorption temperature and increasing gas pressure were beneficial to CO 2 uptake, accompanied by the increase of adsorption capacity and the reduction of interfacial energy, entropy, enthalpy, and internal energy. The strongest temperature effects on entropy change, enthalpy change, and internal energy change existed at given pressure or temperature. The pressure effect was stronger and more sensitive to pressure at lower adsorption pressure. More interestingly, the peak pressure or peak temperature with the strongest pressure effect possibly existed during CO 2 adsorption.