(364h) Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Capture By Functionalizing Activated Hydrochar Derived from Loblolly Pine with Deep Eutectic Solvent

CO₂ emission has been a burning question in recent years which results in global warming and other natural calamities. Loblolly pine (LP), being a common forest remnant could be transformed into cost effective adsorbent to capture CO₂ by functionalizing with deep eutectic solvent (DES) known as a potential green solvent. This research aims to produce ultraporous activated hydrochar obtained from loblolly pine by hydrothermally carbonizing at temperatures ranging from 200°C to 260°C after 1 hour of pyrolysis at 600°C which is further functionalized with choline chloride-urea, choline chloride-ethylene glycol, tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide-urea and contrast the efficiency of CO₂ capture with activated hydrochar from LP without post treatment. The activated chars exhibited high surface porosity (118.34-356.78 m²/g) and pore volume (0.074-0.1573 cm³/g), and after functionalization with DES, the adsorbent demonstrated a boost in nitrogen percentage and favorable surface functionalities. While comparing the CO₂ capture capacity at 3 bar and 25°C, functionalized activated chars demonstrated improved uptake efficiency. The combined effect of higher surface functionalities and high porosity reflected a rise in CO₂ capture effectiveness through improving both physical and chemical adsorption mechanism.