Preparation of a carbon molecular sieve and application to separation of N2, O2 and CO2 in a fixed bed

The emission of CO2 from power plants that burn fossil fuels is the major cause of the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere. The separation of CO2 from CO2/air mixtures can play a key role in alleviating this problem. This separation can be carried out by using suitable adsorbents, such as carbon molecular sieves. In this work, a CMS was prepared by deposition of polyfurfuryl alcohol polymer on activated carbon. After deposition of the polymer, the material was carbonized at 800ºC for 2 hours. This material was used to separate O2/N2 mixtures and CO2 in a fixed bed at room temperature. Experimental breakthrough curves obtained were fitted to theoretical models in order to establish the main mechanisms of mass transfer. The breakthrough curves showed that it is possible to separate O2, N2 and CO2. The shape of the breakthrough curves was not influenced by the total flow, indicating that the gas contact for the gas mixture was good. The experimental data were fitted to theoretical models and it was established that the main mechanism of mass transfer was intraparticle diffusion