Carbon gas and methane adsorption using meso-macropures hybrid materials
Adsorption; Carbon dioxide; Methane; Natural gas; Porous silica; Meso-macroporous Hybrid Materials
Natural Gas (NG) production in Brazil has shown a significant increase in recent years, mainly with the operations of pre-salt platforms. Oil and Natural Gas exploration and refining activities account for 86% of CO2 emissions, representing a serious problem for environmental issues related to greenhouse gas emissions and increased global warming as CO2 is the main responsible for these weather effects. Thus, new material technologies for CO2 capture have been shown to be efficient in relation to conventional processes. In this work, meso-macroporous hybrid materials were synthesized for carbon dioxide and methane adsorption. These materials are promising for use in natural gas treatment systems as they have specific porosities for gas capture and storage. The adsorbent was obtained from silica, sodium silicate and a decane emulsion in acid medium. The physicochemical characteristics of the material were determined by thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy and the BET method. Adsorption capacity tests were performed for CO2, methane and their mixtures in a magnetic suspension microbalance. The experimental values obtained were compared and adjusted to the Langmuir and Freundlich models. It was found that the materials used were promising for adsorption of carbon dioxide, methane and their mixtures, under low pressure.