Performance of porous carbons based on waste-printed paper on the CO2 capture by temperature swing adsorption.

The development of low-cost and sustainable adsorbents is crucial for reducing CO2 emissions associated with climate change. In this context, waste-derived porous carbons have emerged as promising materials for adsorption applications. This work evaluates the CO2 adsorption performance of porous carbons derived from printed paper waste using temperature swing adsorption (TSA). The activated carbons were produced by pretreating printed paper waste, followed by impregnation with KOH, K2CO3, or KHC8H4O4 and chemical activation via pyrolysis at 800 °C. Adsorption tests were conducted using TSA, assessing adsorption capacity as a function of temperature. The results showed that the maximum CO2 adsorption capacity at 30 °C for AC-KOH, AC-KCO, and AC-KHP was 7.64%, 6.28%, and 6.80%, respectively. In adsorption tests at 30 °C at 1 bar, AC-KOH (83.33% micropore volume) demonstrated the best performance with a maximum CO2 adsorption efficiency of 7.64% (2.29 mmol g-1). The average fluctuation after 10 adsorption-desorption cycles was less than 1%, indicating good regeneration and stability of AC-KOH. These results suggest that printed paper is a promising precursor for producing adsorbents for CO2 adsorption.