(446n) KOH Activation of Petroleum Coke for CO2 Capture: Effect of Carbonization Temperature

The CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere is over 400 ppm currently, which is about 40% higher than in the mid-1800s. Since CO₂ is a major greenhouse gas, increasing CO₂ concentration has caused global warming and climate change problems such as droughts and floods. To reduce CO₂ emissions, many researches have been carried out for developing CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) technology. Among CCS stages, CO₂ capture accounts for two thirds of the total cost, indicating importance of developing efficient CO₂ capture technologies. Adsorption using solid materials is one of promising CO₂ capture technologies and it has advantages of low energy consumption and easy regeneration. Among various adsorbents, CO₂ adsorption on activated carbons is based on high surface area and it can be obtained by activation of carbon-containing precursors. Petroleum coke, which is a byproduct of heavy oil upgrading processes, contains a high carbon content more than 80%, and therefore it is considered as a promising precursor for low-cost activated carbon. In this study, activated carbons having high surface area were synthesized through KOH activation of petroleum coke for CO₂ capture. Prior to KOH activation, carbonization process was carried out and the effect of carbonization temperature on the pore development and CO₂ adsorption capacity of the activated carbons was investigated.