Original Article | 2012, Vol.34, No.4, pp. 403-407
Effect of pore size and surface chemistry of porous silica on CO2 adsorption
Thongthai Witoon and Metta Chareonpanich
pp. 403 - 407
Abstract
In the present study, porous silica synthesized using sodium silicate as a low-cost raw material was selected as a CO2 sorbent. The effects of pore size and amount of silanol content on CO2 adsorption capacity were investigated. The physical properties and surface chemistry (silanol content) of the porous silica products were characterized by means of N2 -physisorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis technique. The pore size of the porous silica materials did not affect the equilibrium CO2 capacity; however the porous silica with large pore size could enhance the diffusion of CO2 . The amount of silanol content was found to be a key factor for the CO2 adsorption capacity. A greater CO2 adsorption capacity would be obtained with an increase of the silanol concentration on the surface of the porous silica materials.
