Developing self-activated lignosulfonate-based porous carbon material for ethylene adsorption

• Published in: Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers 2020-10, Vol.115, p.315-320
• Main Authors: Wang, Szu-Han, Hwang, Yuh-Kai, Choi, Seung Wan, Yuan, Xiangzhou, Lee, Ki Bong, Chang, Feng-Cheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Carbon; Ethylene; Lignosulfonate; Self-activation
• ISSN: 1876-1070; 1876-1089
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtice.2020.10.017

•Lignosulfonate-based porous carbon generate substantial surface area through a self-activated mechanism, without strong acid or alkali required.•The ethylene adsorption capacity of lignosulfonate-based porous carbon is enhanced at a low temperature, which is beneficial for the case of the cold chain food packaging industry.•Physical adsorption was the main mechanism of ethylene adsorption for the lignosulfonate-based porous carbon, leading to efficient adsorption-desorption cycles.•The optimized lignosulfonate-based carbon produced in the current study is comparable to previously-investigated ethylene adsorbent products. This study applied lignosulfonate as raw material to develop porous carbon for ethylene adsorption, followed by testing for this material's ethylene adsorption efficiency and capacity. The results indicated that the gas released (CH4, H2, CO, and CO2) during pyrolysis could generate a pore structure on lignosulfonate-based carbon surface, regarded as the self-activated mechanism. Pore structure formation increased pore volume and resulted in generation of various pore shapes. When carbonization temperature was less than 800 °C, specific surface area of the samples increased with temperature, and it decreased otherwise. Moreover, with increasing carbonization temperature, the samples’ carbon content increased but hydrogen content decreased. Ethylene adsorption uptake increased as carbonization temperature increased. Adsorption capacity was maximum when carbonization temperature was 800 °C. It was influenced by the pore structure, and specifically, it increased as micropore volume increased. In addition, physical adsorption was the main mechanism of ethylene adsorption for the lignosulfonate-based porous carbon, leading to efficient adsorption-desorption cycles. Finally, its application as an ethylene scavenger can potentially transcend currently available products.