CO2 capture performance of bi-functional activated bleaching earth modified with basic-alcoholic solution and functionalization with monoethanolamine: isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamics

CO_2 capture performance of bifunctional activated bleaching earth(ABE) was investigated at atmospheric pressure. The sorbents were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET), Caron-Hydrogen-Nitrogen analysis(CHN), Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) and thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA). The CO_2 capacity was enhanced via basic-modification and monoethanolamine(MEA) loading of the ABE sorbent to obtain a bifunctional surface property. Here, basic-modified calcined ABE with a 30 wt.%MEA loading(SAB-30) showed the highest CO_2 capture capacity, but this was decreased with excess MEA loading( 30 wt.%). At a 10%(V/V) initial CO_2 concentration feed, the maximum capacity of SAB-30 increased from 2.71 mmol/g at 30℃(without adding moisture to the feed) to 3.3 mmol/g at 50℃ when adding 10%(V/V) moisture to the feed. Increasing the moisture concentration further reduced the maximum CO_2 capacity due to the blocking effect of the excess moisture on the sorbent surface. However, SAB-30 could completely capture CO_2 even in a 100%(V/V) initial CO_2 concentration feed. A maximum CO_2 capacity of5.7 mmol/g for SAB-30 was achieved at 30℃. Varying the ratio of sorbent weight to total flow rate of the gas stream had no discernible effect on the equilibrium CO_2 capture capacity. Avrami's equation and Toth's isotherm model provided a good fitting for the data and suggested the presence of more than one reaction pathway in the CO_2 capture process and the heterogeneous adsorption surface of SAB-30. Thermodynamics studies revealed that CO_2 capture on the bifunctional SAB-30 is feasible, spontaneous and exothermic in nature.