Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Capture: Adsorption and Physicochemical Properties of SBA-15 Mesoporous Silica

Abstract

Global warming is widely recognized as one of humanity's most urgent challenges, making CO2 capture from the environment crucial to mitigating problems associated with climate change. In this study, ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 was synthesized using the sol–gel process with Pluronic P123, a nonionic surfactant, and tetraethyl orthosilicate as the silica source, with hydrochloric acid serving as the catalyst. The results indicated that the CO2 adsorption capacity of SBA-15 was improved with higher CO2 feed concentration but decreased with increasing flowrate, temperature, and adsorbent loading. The Avrami model provided the best fit for the experimental kinetic data. The Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models were successful in predicting the CO2 adsorption performance of SBA-15 in the fixed-bed column system. The synthesized SBA-15 demonstrated its significant potential as a cost-effective CO2 adsorbent by maintaining a high adsorption capacity, even after multiple regeneration cycles.