Application of thermogravimetric analysis to the evaluation of aminated solid sorbents for CO2 capture

In this work a series of solid sorbents were synthesized by immobilizing liquid amines on the surface of a mesoporous alumina. The samples were chemically characterized and BET surface areas calculated from the N2 adsorption isotherms at 77 K. The CO2 capture performance of the sorbents and their thermal stability was studied by thermogravimetric methods. The effect of amine loading on the CO2 capture performance of the prepared sorbents was also evaluated. Analysis of TG-DTG curves showed that thermal stabilization of the amines is significantly improved by immobilizing them on an inorganic support. Temperature-programmed CO2 adsorption tests from 298 K up to 373 K at atmospheric pressure, proved to be a useful technique for assessing the capacity of sorbents for CO2 capture. Alumina impregnated with diethylenetriamine presented the highest CO2 adsorption capacities throughout the tested temperature range.