Fabrication of Bamboo-Based Activated Carbon for Low-Level CO 2 Adsorption toward Sustainable Indoor Air

Sujeong Heo, Wooram Kim, Youngmin Jo and Adedeji Adebukola Adelodun ()
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Sujeong Heo: Department of Applied Environmental Science, Kyung Hee University, Yogin-si 17104, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Wooram Kim: Department of Applied Environmental Science, Kyung Hee University, Yogin-si 17104, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Youngmin Jo: Department of Applied Environmental Science, Kyung Hee University, Yogin-si 17104, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Adedeji Adebukola Adelodun: Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: This study fabricated a low-cost activated carbon (AC) adsorbent from readily available bamboo trees to control indoor CO 2 levels and reduce energy costs associated with sustaining clean indoor air. Bamboo is naturally high in potassium content and has narrow fibrous channels that could enhance selective CO 2 adsorption. The prepared bamboo-based activated carbon (BAC) exhibits predominantly micropores with an average pore size of 0.17 nm and a specific surface area of 984 m 2 /g. Upon amination, amine functionalities, such as pyridine, pyrrole, and quaternary N, were formed on its surface, enhancing its CO 2 adsorption capacity of 0.98 and 1.80 mmol/g for low-level (3000 ppm) and pure CO 2 flows at the ambient condition, respectively. In addition, the 0.3% CO 2 /N 2 selectivity (α s,g ) of the prepared sorbents revealed a superior affinity of CO 2 by BAC (8.60) over coconut shell-based adsorbents (1.16–1.38). Furthermore, amination enhanced BAC’s CO 2 α s,g to 13.4. These results exhibit this sustainable approach’s potential capabilities to ensure the control of indoor CO 2 levels, thereby reducing the cost associated with mechanical ventilation systems. Further research should test the new sorbent’s adsorption properties (isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics) for real-life applicability.

Keywords: indoor air quality; sustainable adsorbent; carbon dioxide; activated carbon; surface functionality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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