Effect of isopropanol on CO2 capture by activated carbon: Adsorption performance and regeneration capacity

Globally, fossil fuel combustion from various industrial processes has caused a significant increase in CO 2 emissions, exacerbating the greenhouse effect and climate change. Therefore, effective CO 2 capture technologies must be urgently developed. Vacuum temperature swing adsorption (VTSA) is an efficient technique for CO 2 capture. The presence of water vapor, H 2 S, etc., is an important factor that affects the performance of CO 2 adsorption, and they are usually removed prior to the adsorption separation process. However, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a common component of industrial flue gas , can also affect the adsorption and capture of CO 2 , which is often ignored. Thus, in this study, the effect of isopropanol (IPA), one of the most common VOCs used in industry, on the CO 2 removal performance is examined using an in-house VTSA device with activated carbon (AC) as the adsorbent. The effect of IPA on the CO 2 adsorption performance of AC under varying IPA concentration, IPA content in AC, feed flow rate , and adsorption/desorption temperature is comprehensively investigated. The results verify that the impact of VOCs in the industrial exhaust gases on CO 2 capture by adsorption cannot be disregarded.