Synthesis of carbon energized materials with directed regulation of specific surface and pore structure as potential adsorbent for methane mitigation

In this study, nanoporous carbon material (NCM) specimens were synthesized from polymer raw materials (a mixture of furfural, hydroquinone, and urotropine). The influence of the conditions and parameters of the synthesis method (temperature, weight ratio of the activating agent to the precursor and contact time) on the NCM structure was examined. The effect of the weight ratio of the initial components on the properties of the resulting NCM was investigated, and the optimal composition of the ternary system of furfural, hydroquinone and urotropine was found. The results of nitrogen adsorption-desorption showed that NCM specimens obtained by varying the activation temperature were microporous but with different micropore volumes and the same pore size distribution. Varying the weight ratio of the activating agent (KOH) to the precursor made it possible to obtain microporous, micromesoporous, and mesoporous NCMs. NCM specimens with different pore hierarchy and different specific surface area were also obtained, including microporous NCMs (S-BET: 1546-3030 m(3)/g; V-mic/V-t: 76.0-100%), micro- mesoporous NCMs (S-BET: 3204-3516 m(3)/g; Vmic/Vt: 41.2-57.4% V-mes/V-t: 42.6-58.8%) and mesoporous NCMs (S-BET: 3641-3649 m(3)/g; Vmes/Vt: 74.0-83.8%). Further, a mechanism for the development of pores during KOH activation of polymeric carbon precursor was proposed. The outcomes of this study signify that the NCM5/750/1 has a high adsorption capacity for CH4 and has good prospects for monitoring CH4 emissions and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.