Faster, greener way to produce carbon spheres

Researchers at Swansea University have developed a fast, green, and one-step method for producing porous carbon spheres, which are an essential part of carbon capture technology, and for new ways to store renewable energy.

The method produces spheres that have a good carbon capture capacity, and it works effectively on a large scale.

Carbon spheres vary in size from nanometer to micrometer. Over the past decade, they have come to play an important role in areas such as energy storage and conversion, catalysis, gas adsorption and storage, drug and enzyme release, and water treatment.

They are also at the heart of carbon capture technology, which stores carbon instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, thereby addressing climate change.

The problem is that existing methods of making carbon spheres have drawbacks. They can be expensive, impractical, or they produce bulbs that perform poorly at capturing carbon. Some use biomass, which makes them more environmentally friendly, but they need a chemical to activate them.

This is where the work of the Swansea team, based at the University’s Energy Safety Research Institute, represents a significant step forward. It points the way to a better, cleaner and greener way to produce carbon spheres.

The team adapted an existing method known as CVD – chemical vapor deposition. Heat is used to apply a coating to a material. Using pyromellitic acid as a carbon and oxygen source, they applied the CVD method at various temperatures, from 600-900 ° C. They then examined how efficiently the spheres captured CO₂ at different pressures and temperatures

They found that:

• 800 ° C was the optimum temperature for the formation of carbon spheres
• The ultramicropores in the spheres produced gave them a high carbon capture capacity at both atmospheric and lower pressures
• Specific surface area and total pore volume were affected by the deposition temperature, resulting in a significant change in the total carbon dioxide capture capacity
• At atmospheric pressure the highest CO₂ The adsorption capacities, measured in millimolars per gram, for the best carbon spheres were approximately 4.0 at 0 ° C and 2.9 at 25 ° C.

This new approach offers several advantages over existing methods of producing carbon spheres. It is alkali-free and does not require a catalyst to initiate the formation of the bulbs. It uses a cheap and safe raw material that is readily available in the market. No solvents are required to purify the material. It’s also a quick and safe procedure.

Dr. Saeid Khodabakhshi of the Energy Safety Research Institute at Swansea University, who led the study, said:

“Carbon spheres are fast becoming vital products for a green and sustainable future. Our research shows a green and sustainable way to make them.

We have demonstrated a safe, clean and fast way to produce the bulbs. Crucially, the micropores in our spheres make them perform very well in carbon sequestration. Unlike other CVD methods, our procedure can produce bulbs on a large scale without relying on hazardous gases and liquid raw materials.

Carbon spheres are also being investigated for possible uses in batteries and supercapacitors. So over time they can become essential for renewable energy storage, just as they already are for carbon capture. ”