Improvement of carbon dioxide adsorption by the effect of concentration on blended amine-kenaf impregnation in IsoSORP analyzer

With the global increase of fuel-based energy demand, CO2 emission has been rising at an alarming rate. CO2 emission management requires insightful investigation to identify efficient technique to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. CO2 adsorption is one of the widely used techniques due to its lower cost and operating time in comparison with other carbon capture and storage technologies. This study demonstrated the utilization of kenaf adsorbent as a green and low-cost material in CO2 adsorption by IsoSORP analyzer. The surface of kenaf was modified by impregnation with blended amines, i.e. monoethanolamine (MEA) and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) at difference ratios. The structural characteristic obtained from the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis showed that the morphology of kenaf was improved after modification with MEA and TEPA, as reflected by a significant improvement of nitrogen contents. The adsorption of CO2 was conducted by passing 100 ml/min of CO2 gas through the modified and unmodified adsorbent in IsoSORP analyzer at different pressure and at a constant temperature of 25°C. It was observed that the blended amine with concentration of 0.5 MEA: 0.5 TEPA has the significant effect on kenaf adsorbent towards CO2 adsorption capability at any pressure effects. The highest amount of CO2 captured was 16 mg/g adsorbent at the highest pressure, i.e. 15 bar. The modified kenaf at a ratio of 0.5 MEA and 0.5 TEPA resulted an increment of 33.33% CO2 adsorption capacity (mg/g) compared to the unmodified kenaf. This study revealed that the concentration ratio of blended amine has a substantial effect in CO2 adsorption capacity.