Improved CO2 adsorption and desorption using chemically derived activated carbon from corn cob hard shell

Abstract

The task of regulating global CO₂ emission control has paved the way for improving solid sorbents such as activated carbons. Adsorption depends on the preparation process and the quality of the initial material used for it. This study mainly concentrates on producing activated carbon from corn cob biomass, which is economical and widely available. The biomass was subjected to activation using KOH at a ratio of 1:1 at a temperature of 850 °C. The Modified Activated Carbon (MAC) samples, namely MAC-1, were produced by treating biochar with a 1:1 ratio of the KOH solution. In contrast, the MAC-2 method directly added solid KOH pellets to biochar in a 1:1 activation ratio. The SEM analysis revealed the porous structure of activated carbon, while the FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of the functional groups. The adsorption tests were conducted for 5, 10, and 20 min, with the highest adsorption observed at 20 min. Desorption was carried out at 105 °C for an hour, showing a gradual increase up to 20 min, reaching 1.227 mmol/g (0.054 g/g). The MAC-2 sample exhibited the maximum CO₂ adsorption capacity measuring 1.523 mmol/g (0.067 g/g), highlighting the promising potential of activated carbon derived from corn cob.