Capturing greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to form carbonate compounds

Abstract

The application of CuO and MgO nanoparticles in CO2 capture was evaluated experimentally using 5% CO2 in nitrogen via physisorption and chemisorption instrumentation. The structural and surface micrograph of the CuO and MgO nanoparticles were characterized by XRD and TEM, respectively. After CO2 capture by the CuO nanoparticles, the amounts of oxide, hydroxide, and carbonate phases in the adsorbents were determined by XPS measurements. No hydroxide phase was detected in the MgO nanoparticles because of the efficient transformation of MgO into MgCO3. Monolayer adsorptions of CO2 were shown to occur in the MgO nanoparticles with a total chemisorption of 5.0 mmol/g. After the fifth cycle, only 3% reduction of the CO2 chemisorption was reported because of some agglomeration by sintering during desorption.