Evaluation of high-performance adsorbents for separation of CO₂ from industrial effluent gases

The aim of this work is the investigation of several CO₂ adsorbents such as three synthetic zeolites (4A, 5A, and 13X), a natural zeolite (clinoptilolite), an activated carbon (AC), and a metal organic framework (MOF-MIL-53) for the postcombustion CO₂ capture via temperature-pressure swing adsorption. The adsorbents were evaluated in terms of the CO₂ adsorption capacity and performance during successive adsorption–desorption cycles at different conditions (1–6 bar and 120–180°C) using different mixtures of gases simulating a combustion process stream (N₂/CO₂/O₂/CO). The 13X zeolite showed excellent adsorption capacity of 4.3 mmolCO₂/g zeolite and very stable performance during successive cycles.