Characterization of CO₂ Adsorption Behavior in Pyrolyzed Shales for Enhanced Sequestration Applications.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Climate change mitigation requires reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.
• Solid adsorbents, especially shales, are promising for CO₂ storage due to their properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a spent shale sorbent for CO₂ capture.
• To evaluate the physicochemical properties influencing CO₂ sorption.

Main Methods:

• Pyrolysis of shale at 800 °C under nitrogen.
• Characterization using XRD, FESEM, BET, and TPD.
• Sorption experiments and isotherm/kinetic modeling.

Main Results:

• Spent shale showed surface areas of 30-34 m²/g and pore diameters of 3-10 nm.
• Maximum CO₂ sorption capacity reached 1.62 mmol/g.
• Adsorption followed Sips and Toth models, indicating multilayer and heterogeneous processes.

Conclusions:

• Spent shale is a cost-effective and efficient sorbent for CO₂ storage.
• This material supports circular resource utilization and sustainable carbon management.
• Shale-derived materials offer a competitive solution for carbon capture, storage, and sequestration.