Porous carbon materials for CO2 separation in natural gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776165-B2
Application number	US-201615001835-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 11, 2012
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to materials for use in CO 2 capture in high pressure environments. In some embodiments, the materials include a porous carbon material containing a plurality of pores for use in a high pressure environment. Additional embodiments pertain to methods of utilizing the materials of the present disclosure to capture CO 2 from various environments. In some embodiments, the materials of the present disclosure selectively capture CO 2 over hydrocarbon species in the environment.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A material for use in CO 2 capture in high pressure environments, the material comprising,
a porous carbon material containing a plurality of pores for use in a high pressure environment having a total pressure in the environment between about 2.5 to about 100 bar, to selectively capture CO 2 over hydrocarbons in the environment,
wherein a majority of the plurality of pores in the porous carbon material have a diameter of about 3 nm or less,
wherein the surface area of the porous carbon material is between about 2,500 m 2 /g and about 4,500 m 2 /g,
wherein the density of the porous carbon material is between about 0.3 g/cm 3 to about 4 g/cm 3 ,
wherein the total pore volume of the porous carbon material is at least about 2 cm 3 /g,
wherein the CO 2 absolute sorption capacity of the porous carbon material is between about 50 wt % and about 200 wt %, and
wherein the porous carbon material comprises a plurality of moieties embedded within the pores of the porous carbon material,
wherein the plurality of moieties are selected from the group consisting of sulfur-containing moieties, nitrogen-containing moieties, and combinations thereof.

2. The material of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon material is an asphalt-derived porous carbon.

3. The material of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon material is produced from a high fixed carbon content precursor selected from the group consisting of biochar, hydrochar, coal, lignite, biomass, heteroatom-containing organic substances, nitrogen-containing organic substances, sulfur-containing organic substances, and combinations thereof;
wherein the precursor is heated at temperatures greater than 600° C.; and
wherein CO 2 selectivity and CO 2 capacity of the porous carbon material is enhanced by functionalization of the porous carbon material surface during such heating.

4. The material of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon material is produced from a high fixed carbon content precursor selected from the group consisting of biochar, hydrochar, coal, lignite, biomass, heteroatom-containing organic substances, nitrogen-containing organic substances, sulfur-containing organic substances, and combinations thereof; and
wherein the precursor is activated at a temperature between about 650° C. and about 1000° C. and in the presence of an amount of activating agent, to create and maintain micropores within the porous carbon material.

5. The material of claim 1 , wherein, after capture, the CO 2 forms a matrix of CO 2 within the pores of the porous carbon material.

6. The material of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon material has a CO 2 uptake of between about 0.92 g/g to about 1.50 g/g, at a CO 2 pressure or partial pressure of about 30 bar.

7. The material of claim 1 , wherein the porous carbon material selectively captures CO 2 over CH 4 , such that the molecular ratio between CO 2 /CH 4 is between about 2 and about 10.

8. The material of claim 1 , wherein the CO 2 sorption absolute capacity of the porous carbon material is at least about 60 wt %.

9. The material of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of moieties within the pores are covalently linked to carbon atoms of pore walls of the pores.

10. A material for use in CO 2 capture in high pressure environments, the material comprising,
a porous carbon material containing a plurality of pores for use in a high pressure environment having a total pressure in the environment between about 2.5 to about 100 bar, to selectively capture CO 2 over hydrocarbons in the environment,
wherein a majority of the plurality of pores in the porous carbon material have a diameter of about 3 nm or less,
wherein the surface area of the porous carbon material is between about 2,500 m 2 /g and about 4,500 m 2 /g,
wherein the density of the porous carbon material is between about 0.3 g/cm 3 to about 4 g/cm 3 ,
wherein the total pore volume of the porous carbon material is at least about 2 cm 3 /g,
wherein the CO 2 absolute sorption capacity of the porous carbon material is between about 50 wt % and about 200 wt %,
wherein the porous carbon material comprises a plurality of moieties embedded within the pores of the porous carbon material,
wherein the plurality of moieties within the pores are covalently linked to carbon atoms of pore walls of the pores, and
wherein the plurality of moieties are selected from the group consisting of sulfur-containing moieties, nitrogen-containing moieties, and combinations thereof.

11. The material of claim 10 , wherein the porous carbon material is an asphalt-derived porous carbon.

12. The material of claim 10 , wherein the porous carbon material is produced from a high fixed carbon content precursor selected from the group consisting of biochar, hydrochar, coal, lignite, biomass, heteroatom-containing organic substances, nitrogen-containing organic substances, sulfur-containing organic substances, and combinations thereof;
wherein the precursor is heated at temperatures greater than 600° C.; and
wherein CO 2 selectivity and CO 2 capacity of the porous carbon material is enhanced by functionalization of the porous carbon material surface during such heating.

13. The material of claim 10 , wherein the porous carbon material is produced from a high fixed carbon content precursor selected from the group consisting of biochar, hydrochar, coal, lignite, biomass, heteroatom-containing organic substances, nitrogen-containing organic substances, sulfur-containing organic substances, and combinations thereof; and
wherein the precursor is activated at a temperature between about 650° C. and about 1000° C. and in the presence of an amount of activating agent, to create and maintain micropores within the porous carbon material.

14. The material of claim 10 , wherein, after capture, the CO 2 forms a matrix of CO 2 within the pores of the porous carbon material.

15. The material of claim 10 , wherein the porous carbon material has a CO 2 uptake of between about 0.92 g/g to about 1.50 g/g, at a CO 2 pressure or partial pressure of about 30 bar.

16. The material of claim 10 , wherein the porous carbon material selectively captures CO 2 over CH 4 , such that the molecular ratio between CO 2 /CH 4 is between about 2 and about 10.

17. The material of claim 10 , wherein the CO 2 sorption absolute capacity of the porous carbon material is at least about 60 wt %.

Assignees

• Tour James M
• Schipper Desmond E
• Hwang Chih-Chau
• Tour Josiah
• Jalilov Almaz S
• Ruan Gedeng
• Li Yilun
• Univ Rice William M

Inventors

• Tour James M
• Schipper Desmond E
• Hwang Chih-Chau
• Tour Josiah
• Jalilov Almaz S
• Ruan Gedeng
• Li Yilun

Classifications

• C01B31/00

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C01P2004/80

  Particles consisting of a mixture of two or more inorganic phases · CPC title

• B01J2220/4893

  Residues derived from used synthetic products, e.g. rubber from used tyres · CPC title

• Y02C20/20

  of methane · CPC title

• B01D2257/504

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title