Formulation of Aminosilica Adsorbents into 3D-Printed Monoliths and Evaluation of Their CO₂ Capture Performance

Amine-based materials have represented themselves as a promising class of CO₂ adsorbents; however, their large-scale implementation requires their formulation into suitable structures. In this study, we report formulation of aminosilica adsorbents into monolithic structures through a three-dimensional (3D) printing technique. In particular, 3D-printed monoliths were fabricated using presynthesized silica-supported tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) and poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) adsorbents using three different approaches. In addition, a 3D-printed bare silica monolith was prepared and post-functionalized with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS). Characterization of the obtained monoliths indicated that aminosilica materials retained their characteristics after being extruded into 3D-printed configurations. Adsorptive performance of amine-based structured adsorbents was also investigated in CO₂ capture. Our results indicated that aminosilica materials retain their structural, physical, and chemical properties in the monoliths. In addition, the aminosilica monoliths exhibited adsorptive characteristics comparable to their corresponding powders. This work highlights the importance of adsorbent materials formulations into practical contactors such as monoliths, as the scalabale technology platform, that could facilitate rapid deployment of adsorption-based CO₂ capture processes on commercial scales.