Amine-functionalized cellulose-chitosan composites as an efficient adsorbent for CO₂ capture.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Developing efficient sorbent materials for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is crucial for mitigating climate change.
• Cellulose and chitosan are abundant, biocompatible biopolymers with potential for CO2 adsorption applications.
• Amine functionalization can significantly enhance the CO2 affinity of porous materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel amine-functionalized cellulose/chitosan (Ce/Cs) composite materials for enhanced CO2 adsorption.
• To optimize the composition and functionalization of the Ce/Cs composite for maximum CO2 capture capacity.
• To evaluate the adsorption performance, mechanism, and regenerability of the optimized composite.

Main Methods:

• Cellulose was functionalized with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) and blended with chitosan.
• Material characterization using FT-IR, XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, and FESEM.
• CO2 adsorption experiments were conducted under varying conditions to determine optimal parameters and performance.

Main Results:

• The optimized Ce3-TEPA15%/Cs1 composite exhibited a maximum CO2 uptake of 358.44 mg/g at 25 °C and 9 bar.
• Adsorption data fitted the Freundlich model and fractional-order kinetic model, indicating favorable, heterogeneous adsorption.
• The composite demonstrated good regenerability, retaining ~92% capacity after 10 cycles at mild regeneration temperatures.

Conclusions:

• Amine-functionalized cellulose/chitosan composites offer a promising route for efficient and reusable CO2 capture.
• The study highlights the synergistic effect of covalent amine anchoring and a bio-based matrix for CO2 adsorption.
• The developed material presents a practical solution for CO2 separation technologies.