3D-Printed Zeolite Monoliths for CO₂ Removal from Enclosed Environments

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Structured adsorbents, particularly monolithic contactors, are crucial for scalable carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technologies.
• Zeolite-based materials are effective sorbents for CO2 removal from gas streams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and evaluate 3D-printed 13X and 5A zeolite monoliths for CO2 capture from air.
• To compare the properties and performance of these novel monoliths with their powder counterparts.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of 3D-printed zeolite monoliths using 13X and 5A zeolites.
• Characterization of physical and structural properties of the monoliths.
• Evaluation of CO2 adsorption uptake and breakthrough dynamics using gas chromatography.

Main Results:

• 3D-printed zeolite monoliths with up to 90 wt% zeolite loading showed CO2 adsorption capacities comparable to powder sorbents.
• Adsorption capacities for 5A and 13X monoliths were 1.59 and 1.60 mmol/g, respectively, at 5000 ppm CO2.
• Monolithic structures exhibited fast CO2/N2 breakthrough dynamics and good mechanical stability, reducing attrition and dusting.

Conclusions:

• 3D printing provides a cost-effective and facile method for producing structured zeolite adsorbents with tunable properties.
• The developed zeolite monoliths are promising for practical and scalable CO2 capture applications.
• This approach offers an alternative to traditional packing systems for gas separation processes.