Development of mesoporous activated carbons derived from brewed coffee waste for CO2 adsorption

Abstract

The primary cause of rising CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere is the use of fossil fuels in motor vehicles and factory activities in industry. CO2 levels in the atmosphere can be controlled and reduced by using low-carbon energy and capturing and storing CO2. One widely used way for CO2 capture and storage is adsorption method. This method necessitates the use of an adsorbent, one of which is activated carbon. In this study, brewed coffee waste was converted into activated carbons, characterized, and tested for carbon dioxide adsorption. Brewed coffee waste was dehydrated at 105 ºC for an hour before being carbonized at 550 °C and activated at 670, 700, and 730 °C, with a 200-ml/min nitrogen injection during activation. Activated carbons with activation temperatures of 670, 700, and 730 °C were denoted as AC-670, AC-700, and AC-730, respectively. A series of TGA, SEM, and adsorption isotherm tests were used to determine the proximate components, surface morphology, and surface structure of the activated carbons produced. To assess the adsorption capacities of activated carbon on CO2, the gravimetric CO2 adsorption isotherm method was used. According to the findings of the study, increasing activation temperatures cause variable properties in activated carbon. When using an activation temperature of 700 °C, the most appropriate properties of activated carbon can be obtained. It has 425.843 m2/g specific surface area, 0.345 cm3/g pore volume, 3.423 nm pore diameter, 235.628 cm3/g nitrogen adsorption capacity, and 4.183 mmol/g CO2 adsorption performance. This study provided a simple way converting brewed coffee waste into activated carbon with excellent performance for CO2 adsorption