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Plastic Waste Product Captures Carbon Dioxide in Nanometer Pores
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Plastic Waste Product Captures Carbon Dioxide in Nanometer Pores

Wala A. Algozeeb, Paul E. Savas, Zhe Yuan, Zhe Wang, Carter Kittrell, Jacklyn N. Hall, Weiyin Chen, Praveen Bollini and James M. Tour
ACS nano, Vol.16(5), pp.7284-7290
05/24/2022
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c00955
PMID: 35380424

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Abstract

Plastic waste (PW) and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are among the top environmental concerns presently facing humankind. With an ambitious 2050 zero-CO2 emissions goal, there is a demand for economical CO2 capture routes. Here we show that the thermal treatment of PW in the presence of potassium acetate yields an effective carbon sorbent with pores width of 0.7-1.4 nm for CO2 capture. The PW to carbon sorbent process works with single or mixed streams of polyolefin plastics. The CO2 capacity of the sorbent at 25 degrees C is 17.0 +/- 1.1 wt % (3.80 +/- 0.25 mmol g(-1)) at 1 bar and 5.0 +/- 0.6 wt % (1.13 +/- 0.13 mmol g(-1)) at 0.15 bar, and it regenerates upon reaching 75 +/- 5 degrees C. The CO2 capture cost from flue gas via this technology is estimated to be <$21 ton(-1) CO2, much lower than competing CO2 capture technologies. Hence, this PW-derived carbon material should find utility in the capture of CO2 from point sources of high CO2 emissions while providing a use for otherwise deleterious PW.
 Materials Science Physical Sciences Technology Chemistry Chemistry, Multidisciplinary Chemistry, Physical Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Science & Technology Science & Technology - Other Topics

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