The evolution of nanotechnology over the past 20 years has allowed researchers to use a wide variety of techniques and instruments to synthesize and characterize new materials on the nano scale. Due to their size, these nano materials have a wide variety of interesting properties, including, high tensile strength, novel electronic and optical properties and high surface areas. In any absorption system, a high surface areas is desirable, making carbon nano materials ideal candidates for use in absorption systems. To that end, we have prepared a variety of nano carbons, single walled carbon nanotubes, multi walled carbon nanotubes, graphite intercalation compounds, graphite oxide, phenylalanine modified graphite and fullerenes, for the absorption of carbon dioxide. These nano carbons are functionalized with the polymer, polyethyleneimine, and fully characterized using Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, solid state 13 C NMR, and thermogravimetric analysis. The carbon dioxide absorption potential of the PEI-nano carbons was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis at standard room temperature and pressure. We have demonstrated the high gravimetric capacity of carbon dioxide capture on these materials with extremely high capacities for PEI-C 60 .

This study investigated the adsorptive and desorption capacity of HgCl2 onto powdered activated carbon derived from carbon black of pyrolyzed waste tires (CPBAC) via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Due to incomplete classification and recycling of municipal solid wastes (MSW), they still mix with a lot of hazardous materials, which unfortunately can not be removed by incinerators and air pollution control devices(APCDs). Among them, mercury and its pollutants attract more attention by people. Mercury and its pollutants emitted from the incineration of municipal solid wastes could cause severely adverse effects on human health and ecosystem since they exist mainly in vapor phase due to high vapor pressure. If they can not be remove by the air pollution control devices, they will be emitted to the atmosphere and cause serious effects on environmental ecology via various routes. Activated carbon has been widely applied to the treatment of organic compounds and heavy metals in wastewater and waste gas stream. However, the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon decreases with adsorption temperature. The low adsorptive capacity of activated carbon at high temperature (>150 oC) can be overcome by impregnated activated carbons. Previous study reported that sulfur impregnated powdered activated carbons could effectively remove the vapor-phase elemental mercury (Hgo) emitted from MSW incinerators and utility power plants. However, the impregnated typically used is sulfur (S) which is solely applied for the adsorption of elemental mercury (Hgo). Besides, these studies seldom investigate the distribution of impregnated sulfur in the inner pores of activated carbon and its effects on the specific surface area and pore size distribution. Thus, this study was to investigate the fundamental mechanisms for the adsorption/desorption of HgCl2 by/from sulfur impregnated PAC. Experimental results indicated that the sulfur content of sulfur impregnated CBPAC decreased with increasing impregnation temperatures form 400 to 650 oC; while the surface area of sulfur impregnated CBPAC increased with impregnation temperatures. In this study, TGA was applied to obtain the adsorptive capacity of HgCl2 onto CBPAC with adsorption temperature (150oC) and influent HgCl2 concentration (100~500 £gg/m3). Experimental results indicated that the adsorptive capacity of CBPAC increased with the increase of influent HgCl2 concentration and surface area of the activated carbon. This study revealed that the impregnation of sulfur on CBPAC could increase its adsorption capacity at high temperatures. Desorption experimental parameters included desorption temperature (400, 500, and 600 oC), heating rate (10, 15, and 20 oC /min) and regeneration cycle (1~7 cycles). In probing into the regeneration efficiency of CBPAC, experiments were conducted at the desorption times of 60 and 30 min. The results suggested the regeneration efficiency of carbon under 30 min was generally highter than that under 60 min. Because the desorption time was more longer and the sulfur content was lesser. Therefore, the regeneration times was reduce. Experimental results indicated that the mechanism of HgCl2 desorption from the spent CPBAC was strongly affected by desorption temperature. Both the desorption efficiency and the desorption rate of HgCl2 increased dramatically with desorption temperature. The desorption heat of HgCl2 (823 KJ/mole) was much higher than the vaporization heat of HgCl2 (59.2 KJ/mole), indicating that the adsorption of HgCl2 on sulfur impregnated CBPAC was chemical adsorption. Consequently, raising desorption temperature could enhance the desorption of HgCl2 and shorten the duration for HgCl2 desorption. Moreover, the formation of HgS during the desorption of HgCl2 from activated carbons can be proved by the surface characteristics of sulfur impregnated activated carbons. Results obtained from the regeneration of sulfur impregnated activated carbons indicated that the regeneration cycles decreased as the desorption duration increased. It was attributed to the potential desorption of sulfur from actived carbons, which thus decreased the adsorptive capacity and the regeneration cycles.

The world’s appetite for energy is producing growing quantities of CO2, a pollutant that contributes to the warming of the planet and which currently cannot be removed or stored in any significant way. Other natural reserves are also being devoured at alarming rates and current assessments suggest that we will need to identify alternative sources in the near future. With the aid of materials chemistry it should be possible to create a world in which energy use needs not be limited and where usable energy can be produced and stored wherever it is needed, where we can minimize and remediate emissions as new consumer products are created, whilst healing the planet and preventing further disruptive and harmful depletion of valuable mineral assets. In achieving these aims, the creation of new and very importantly greener industries and new sustainable pathways are crucial. In all of the aforementioned applications, new materials based on carbon, ideally produced via inexpensive, low energy consumption methods, using renewable resources as precursors, with flexible morphologies, pore structures and functionalities, are increasingly viewed as ideal candidates to fulfill these goals. The resulting materials should be a feasible solution for the efficient storage of energy and gases. At the end of life, such materials ideally must act to improve soil quality and to act as potential CO2 storage sinks. This is exactly the subject of this habilitation thesis: an alternative technology to produce carbon materials from biomass in water using low carbonisation temperatures and self-generated pressures. This technology is called hydrothermal carbonisation. It has been developed during the past five years by a group of young and talented researchers working under the supervision of Dr. Titirici at the Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and it is now a well-recognised methodology to produce carbon materials with important application in our daily lives. These applications include electrodes for portable electronic devices, filters for water purification, catalysts for the production of important chemicals as well as drug delivery systems and sensors. / Der stets wachsende globale Energiebedarf führt zu immer weiter zunehmenden Emissionen von Kohlenstoffdioxid, einem umweltschädlichen Gas, das als eines der Hauptprobleme im weltweiten Klimawandel darstellt. Bislang ist es jedoch nicht möglich, dieses Kohlenstoffdioxid in sinnvoller Weise zu verwerten oder einzulagern. Zudem existieren weitere Probleme in der globalen Energieversorgung, da viele natürlich vorkommende Rohstoffe sehr schnell ausgebeutet werden, so dass in naher Zukunft dringend alternative Energiequellen gefunden werden müssen, um den aktuellen Problemen zu begegnen. Der Wissenschaftszweig der Materialchemie zielt in diesem Zusammenhang darauf ab, dazu beizutragen, die bestehende Energieinfrastruktur nachhaltig zu verändern. Dabei stehen verschiedene Aspekte im Vordergrund: Energie sollte in allen gewünschten Mengen jederzeit verfügbar und auch speicherbar sein. Zudem sollte ihre Erzeugung ohne umweltschädliche Abfallprodukte ablaufen. Tiefgreifende Eingriffe in die Umwelt, v.a. durch den übermäßigen Abbau von Rohstoffen, sollte nicht mehr erforderlich sein. Auf diese Weise können die Folgen des bisherigen Klimawandels eingedämmt werden und neue Schäden an der Umwelt vermieden werden. Neue, grüne Industrie- und Energieprozesse schützen hier also nachhaltig den Planeten. Bei der Forschung an nachhaltigen Formen der Energieversorgung beschäftigen sich Materialchemiker in mannigfaltiger Weise mit Kohlenstoffmaterialien. Diese sollten idealerweise kostengünstig und ohne hohen Energiebedarf produziert werden können. Am vielversprechendsten sind Materialien, die eine flexibel gestaltbare Morphologie besitzen, d.h. die besondere strukturelle Eigenschaften besitzen, wie z.B. Porosität oder chemisch veränderte und damit funktionale Oberflächen. Idealerweise sollten solche neu entwickelten Materialien nicht nur als Speicher von Energie oder Energieträgern dienen, sondern auch nach ihrer Lebensdauer als funktionales Material zur Verbesserung der Bodenqualität eingesetzt werden können und dort noch weiter als potentielle Senke für Kohlenstoffdioxid dienen können. Die zuvor beschriebenen Themen und Probleme stellen den Gegenstand der vorliegenden Habilitationsschrift dar: die Entwicklung einer alternativen Methode zur Herstellung von Kohlenstoffmaterialien aus Biomasse in Wasser bei geringen Temperaturen. Dabei handelt es sich um die sogenannte hydrothermale Karbonisierung, die in den letzten fünf Jahren von einer Gruppe junger, talentierter Wissenschaftler unter der Anleitung von Frau Dr. Titirici am Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung erarbeitet und weiterentwickelt wurde zu einer heutzutage anerkannten und verbreiteten Methode. Zudem wurden die über diesen Weg gewonnenen Materialien erfolgreich in zahlreichen, für den Alltag wichtigen Anwendungen eingesetzt, so z.B. als Elektroden in tragbaren elektronischen Geräten, als Filtermaterialien für die Aufreinigung kontaminierten Wassers, als Katalysatoren für wichtige chemische Reaktionen, als Trägermaterial für Arzneimittel und als Sensoren.

Pollution of water by herbicides and heavy metals has caused world wide concern because of the adverse effects of these pollutants on the environment, humans and wildlife. This has resulted in tighter legislation being imposed on the levels of these pollutants in drinking water. For example, the European Union (EU) has set the legislation in the drinking water Directive Admissible Concentration for a single herbicide to a maximum of 0.1 ppb. Despite the tight environmental pollution controls, isolated cases of pollutants exceeding their limits are still encountered. This would suggest that research towards the efficient and effective removal of these pollutants will be an on-going process. In this study, sorption of copper and some selected herbicides e.g. atrazine, benazolin and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was undertaken on a conventional activated carbon and its modified series. A low level detection method was developed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and this system was used to quantify the sorption capacity of the herbicides. In order to understand the sorption mechanism of the targeted pollutants, physical and chemical characterisation of the adsorbents was undertaken using a variety of techniques. These include, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) method, pore size distribution and surface area measurements, elemental analysis, sodium capacity determination, zeta potential and pH titration. The sorption data were presented and analysed by conventional adsorption isotherms. Sorption of the herbicides was favoured on carbon samples with least oxygen content while the uptake of copper was strongest in oxidised carbons. Kinetic experimental data were analysed by a pseudo second order model and the Boyd kinetic model. Molecular structural configurations and the physico-chemical properties of the adsorbent played a crucial role in the sorption behaviour of the herbicides.

abstract: Emergent environmental issues, ever-shrinking petroleum reserves, and rising fossil fuel costs continue to spur interest in the development of sustainable biofuels from renewable feed-stocks. Meanwhile, however, the development and viability of biofuel fermentations remain limited by numerous factors such as feedback inhibition and inefficient and generally energy intensive product recovery processes. To circumvent both feedback inhibition and recovery issues, researchers have turned their attention to incorporating energy efficient separation techniques such as adsorption in in situ product recovery (ISPR) approaches. This thesis focused on the characterization of two novel adsorbents for the recovery of alcohol biofuels from model aqueous solutions. First, a hydrophobic silica aerogel was evaluated as a biofuel adsorbent through characterization of equilibrium behavior for conventional second generation biofuels (e.g., ethanol and n-butanol). Longer chain and accordingly more hydrophobic alcohols (i.e., n-butanol and 2-pentanol) were more effectively adsorbed than shorter chain alcohols (i.e., ethanol and i-propanol), suggesting a mechanism of hydrophobic adsorption. Still, the adsorbed alcohol capacity at biologically relevant conditions were low relative to other `model' biofuel adsorbents as a result of poor interfacial contact between the aqueous and sorbent. However, sorbent wettability and adsorption is greatly enhanced at high concentrations of alcohol in the aqueous. Consequently, the sorbent exhibits Type IV adsorption isotherms for all biofuels studied, which results from significant multilayer adsorption at elevated alcohol concentrations in the aqueous. Additionally, sorbent wettability significantly affects the dynamic binding efficiency within a packed adsorption column. Second, mesoporous carbons were evaluated as biofuel adsorbents through characterization of equilibrium and kinetic behavior. Variations in synthetic conditions enabled tuning of specific surface area and pore morphology of adsorbents. The adsorbed alcohol capacity increased with elevated specific surface area of the adsorbents. While their adsorption capacity is comparable to polymeric adsorbents of similar surface area, pore morphology and structure of mesoporous carbons greatly influenced adsorption rates. Multiple cycles of adsorbent regeneration rendered no impact on adsorption equilibrium or kinetics. The high chemical and thermal stability of mesoporous carbons provide potential significant advantages over other commonly examined biofuel adsorbents. Correspondingly, mesoporous carbons should be further studied for biofuel ISPR applications. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Chemical Engineering 2011

MENEZES, R. L. C. B. Estudo do desempenho de carbonos ativados para a remoção de H2S do biogás. 2017. 85 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Engenharia Química) - Centro de Tecnologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2017. / Submitted by Marlene Sousa (mmarlene@ufc.br) on 2017-04-07T18:34:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_rlcbmenezes.pdf: 1759672 bytes, checksum: 14300e4343d7aa242e4e3c7687604ccd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marlene Sousa (mmarlene@ufc.br) on 2017-04-17T19:07:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_rlcbmenezes.pdf: 1759672 bytes, checksum: 14300e4343d7aa242e4e3c7687604ccd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-17T19:07:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_rlcbmenezes.pdf: 1759672 bytes, checksum: 14300e4343d7aa242e4e3c7687604ccd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-16 / The use of biogas as a source of energy represents an alternative to the use of fossil fuels. However, this gas mixture presents contaminants in its composition, among them the hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which causes harmful effects to health and corrosion in equipment. Thus, the removal of H2S from the biogas is usually conducted by means of conventional absorption processes in amine solutions, which usually have a rather onerous regeneration step. In this context, the adsorption in porous materials, especially activated carbons, has been shown as an attractive alternative for the removal process. The objective of this work was to study the performance of three commercial activated carbons, one of them being the base matrix and the other impregnated with sodium hydroxide and iron oxide, for the removal of H2S in fixed bed. The adsorbents were characterized by X-ray fluorescence, pH measurement and removal of N2 isotherms at -196 °C and CO2 at 0 °C. From the characterization tests, it was observed that all the samples presented specific surface areas and high microporosity. In relation to H2S adsorption, the results showed that sodium impregnated carbon was the one with the highest H2S removal capacity due to its high alkalinity and percentage of ultramicropores, detected in the characterization. This suggests that the presence of the metals and the modification of the porous structure due to the impregnation process are the determinant factors to obtain a high capacity of H2S retention. The results for tests carried out at different temperatures showed that the dominant mechanism is for the impregnated samples. However, the regenerability study showed that the samples are not suitable for use in cyclic adsorption processes, since there is a significant loss of H2S adsorption capacity during the cycles. This loss is due to the mechanism involved, whereby H2S molecules form covalent bonds with the surface, making them more difficult to remove during regeneration. In spite of having a more moderate adsorption capacity, the matrix sample (not impregnated) maintained its capacity after the second cycle of use and regeneration, indicating predominance of physical adsorption mechanism and better potential for use in cyclic processes. / A utilização do biogás como fonte de energia representa uma alternativa ao uso dos combustíveis fósseis. No entanto, esta mistura gasosa apresenta contaminantes em sua composição, dentre eles o sulfeto de hidrogênio (H2S), que causa efeitos danosos à saúde e corrosão em equipamentos. Assim, a remoção do H2S do biogás é usualmente conduzida por meio de processos convencionais de absorção em soluções de aminas, que costumam apresentar uma etapa de regeneração bastante onerosa. Neste contexto, a adsorção em materiais porosos, com destaque para carbonos ativados, vem se mostrando como uma alternativa atrativa para o processo de remoção. Desta forma, esse trabalho teve por objetivo estudar o desempenho de três carbonos ativados comerciais, sendo um deles a matriz base e os demais impregnados com hidróxido de sódio e óxido de ferro, para a remoção do H2S em leito fixo. Os adsorventes foram caracterizados através de fluorescência de raios X, medição de pH e levantamento de isotermas de N2 a -196 °C e de CO2 a 0 °C. A partir dos ensaios de caracterização, observou-se que todas as amostras apresentaram áreas superficiais específicas e microporosidade elevadas. Em relação à adsorção de H2S, os resultados mostraram que o carbono impregnado com sódio foi o que apresentou maior capacidade de remoção de H2S, devido a sua elevada alcalinidade e percentagem de ultramicroporos, detectadas na caracterização. Isso sugere que a presença dos metais e a modificação da estrutura porosa devido ao processo de impregnação são os fatores determinante para obtenção de uma elevada capacidade de retenção de H2S. Os resultados para testes realizados em diferentes temperaturas mostraram que o mecanismo dominante é de quimissorção para as amostras impregnadas. Já o estudo de regenerabilidade mostrou que as amostras não são indicadas para serem utilizadas em processos cíclicos de adsorção, uma vez que ocorre perda significativa da capacidade de adsorção de H2S no decorrer dos ciclos. Essa perda é decorrente do mecanismo envolvido, através do qual as moléculas de H2S formam ligações covalentes com a superfície, tornando-as mais difíceis de serem removidas durante a regeneração. Já a amostra matriz (não impregnada), apesar de ter apresentado capacidade de adsorção mais moderada, manteve sua capacidade depois do segundo ciclo de uso e de regeneração, indicando predominância de mecanismo de adsorção física e melhor potencial para uso em processos cíclicos.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / A profunda compreensÃo dos mecanismos difusivos em sÃlidos porosos à essencial para o desenvolvimento de vÃrios processos envolvendo catÃlise heterogÃnea. A impregnaÃÃo de metais em suporte poroso Ã, geralmente, uma forma eficaz de aumentar a eficiÃncia do catalisador. No entanto, os efeitos de tal procedimento sobre as propriedades de transporte ainda sÃo pouco conhecidos. ZeÃlitas, sÃlicas e aluminas sÃo os suportes mais frequentemente utilizados para catalisadores heterogÃneos. Atualmente, utilizam-se tambÃm carbonos ativados (AC) como suportes, porÃm, apesar das vÃrias vantagens potenciais (por exemplo, Ãreas de superfÃcie bastante especÃficas), pouco tem sido estudado em relaÃÃo ao comportamento difusivo nestes materiais. A SÃntese de Fischer-Tropsch (FTS) à um processo que pode ser beneficiado com a utilizaÃÃo de materiais à base de carbono impregnados. Dessa forma, o mÃtodo Zero Length Column (ZLC) foi aplicado neste estudo para avaliar a difusÃo de n-heptano e n-octano, produtos relevantes do FTS, em materiais à base de carbono antes e apÃs a impregnaÃÃo com Fe com o objetivo de investigar a cinÃtica sob as condiÃÃes normais de temperatura de FTS e determinar se os produtos do processo apresentam uma resistÃncia significativa para o processo. / A deep understanding of the diffusion mechanisms in porous solids is essential to the development of many processes involving heterogeneous catalysis. The impregnation of metals on porous supports is generally an effective way of increasing the catalyst efficiency, but the effects of such procedure on the transport properties are poorly known. Zeolite, silica and alumina are most frequently used as supports for heterogeneous catalysts. Despite the several potential advantages of using activated carbon (AC) as supports (e.g. high specific surface areas), little has been studied regarding diffusion behavior in these materials. The Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) is a process which could benefit from the use of carbon-based impregnated materials. The Zero Length Column (ZLC) method was applied in this study to evaluate the diffusion of n-heptane and n-octane, relevant products of the FTS, in carbon-based materials before and after impregnation with Fe. The aim was to investigate the kinetics under the usual temperature conditions of the FTS and determine if the products diffusion poses a significant resistance for the process.

Orientador: Claudio Airoldi / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T09:22:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Almeida_RamonKenneddeSousa_D.pdf: 5842282 bytes, checksum: 25fcb2d8b707fa65cc5cf6a492365f29 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: As sílicas mesoporosas SBA-15 e SBA-16 sintetizadas através do método hidrotérmico com os copolímeros direcionadores de estrutura P123 e F127 foram organofuncionalizadas com agentes sililantes que contêm grupos funcionais, como nitrogênio, oxigênio e enxofre. As sílicas foram caracterizadas por análise elementar, espectroscopia na região do infravermelho, ressonância magnética nuclear de carbono e silício no estado sólido, termogravimetria, área superficial, espalhamento de raios X a baixo ângulo, microscopia eletrônicas de varredura e transmissão. As caracterizações comprovam a efetivação das sínteses das sílicas SBA-15 e SBA-16 com estruturas hexagonal e cúbica, respectivamente. As sílicas organofuncionalizadas, mostraram maiores graus de ancoramento obtido quando funcionalizadas com organossilanos contendo nitrogênio. Além das sílicas, foram sintetizados carbonos mesoporosos usando as sílicas como direcionadores rígidos de estrutura. Os mesmos foram funcionalizados com anidrido malêico e subsequentes reações com água e hidreto de alumínio e lítio resultando em grupos carboxílicos e na redução dos mesmos, respectivamente. A efetividade da funcionalização foi comprovada, sobretudo por espectroscopia na região do infravermelho, termogravimetria, ressonância magnética de carbono e espectroscopia de fotoelétrons de raios X. Ensaios de liberação dos fármacos ibuprofeno e genfibrozila foram realizados nas sílicas SBA-15 e SBA-16. Os resultados mostraram que ibuprofeno é liberado de SBA-15 de forma constante e controlada por 77 h. Além disso, os perfis de liberação de genfibrozila mostraram que 67 % do fármaco foram liberados de ambas as sílicas, porém o tempo de equilíbrio foi 70 h quando usada SBA-15 e de 24 h quando usada SBA-16. Além disso, verificou-se que os dados tem um bom ajuste quando aplicado a modelo apropriado e que os mecanismos de liberação são regidos pela influencia da difusão e pelo tempo de liberação / Abstract: Mesoporous SBA-15 and SBA-16 silicas synthesized by hydrothermal method using P123 and F127 copolymers as structure directing agents were organofunctionalized with silylating agents containing functional groups, such as nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. The silicas were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance of carbon and silicon nuclei in solid state, thermogravimetry, surface area, X-ray scattering at low angle, scanning electron microscopy and transmission. The characterizations demonstrated the effectiveness of the synthesis of SBA-15 and SBA-16 silicas with hexagonal and cubic structures, respectively. The organofunctionalized silicas showed that the obtained surface modification gave highest degrees of anchoring when functionalized with organosilanes containing nitrogen. Besides the silicas, were also synthesized mesopororous carbons using silicas as hard template, which were functionalized with maleic anhydride and subsequent reaction with water and lithium aluminum hydride, resulting in carboxylic groups due to the reduction process. The effectiveness of the functionalized was proven, mainly by infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, 13C NMR and X-ray photoelectron. Assays with ibuprofen and gemfibrozil releasing were performed on SBA-15 and SBA-16 silicas and the results showed that the ibuprofen is released from SBA-15 in a constant and controlled form for 77 h. Furthermore, release profiles of gemfobrozil gave 67 % of the drug released from both silicas, however the equilibrium time were 70 h when used SBA-15 and 24 h for SBA-16. In addition, it was found that the data has good fitting when applied for appropriate model and the release mechanisms are governed by the influence of diffusion and release time / Doutorado / Quimica Inorganica / Doutor em Ciências

Adsorption in porous materials is a promising technology for CO2 capture and storage. Particularly important applications are adsorption separation of streams associated with the fossil fuel power plants operation, as well as natural gas sweetening. High surface area activated carbons are a promising family of materials for these applications, especially in the high pressure regimes. As the streams under consideration are generally multi-component mixtures, development and optimization of adsorption processes for their separation would substantially benefit from predictive simulation models. In this project we combine experimental data and molecular simulations to systematically develop a model for a high surface area carbon material, taking activated carbon Maxsorb MSC-30 as a reference. Our study starts from the application of the well-established slit pore model, and then evolves through the development of a more realistic model, based on a random packing of small graphitic fragments. In the construction of the model, we introduce a number of constraints, such as the value of the accessible surface area, concentration of the surface groups and pore volume, to bring the properties of the model structure close to the reference porous material. Once a plausible model is developed, its properties are further tuned through comparison between simulated and experimental results for carbon dioxide and methane. The model is then validated by predictions for the same species at different conditions and by prediction of other species involved in the carbon capture processes. The model is applied to simulate the separations involved in pre and post combustion capture processes and sweetening of sour natural gas, using realistic conditions and compositions for the multicomponent mixtures. Finally, it is used to explore the effect of water in pre and post combustion separations.

The main objective of this doctoral thesis is explore the origin of the nanoporous carbons photoactivity for studying their applications in different fields of research covering their use as photocatalysts for pollutants degradation as well as photoelectrodes for water photooxidation reaction, either by themselves or as additives coupled to a semiconductor in hybrid electrodes. The first stage of this study mainly consisted in investigating the photoactivity of carbon materials by themselves (in the absence of semiconductors) towards different reactions, aiming at linking their photochemical response with the carbon material nature in terms of porosity, surface chemistry, composition and structure. The exploration of the photoassisted degradation of phenol nanoconfined in the pore voids of several nanoporous carbons showed a positive effect of the tight packing of the molecule in the carbon material porosity. This indicated the role of confinement to boost fast interactions between the photogenerated charge carriers at carbon material surface and the molecule adsorbed inside pores. The irradiation wavelength was found as a key variable upon phenol photooxidation reaction, with the best optimum performance at low and high wavelengths, and a minimum photodegradation yield at ca. 400 nm for all tested carbon materials. Another parameter strongly influencing the photoactivity of the nanoporous carbons was the surface functionalisation. When sulphur was incorporated to a carbon matrix, the light conversion towards the phenol photooxidation became more efficient and it was dependent on the nature of the S-containing groups. Further on, the analysis of photocurrent transients obtained by irradiating several nanoporous carbon electrodes exhibited different responses, with either anodic or cathodic photocurrent, and transient shapes, thus demonstrating the distinct nature of the catalysed reaction occurring onto electrode/electrolyte interface. The second stage deals with hybrid nanoporous carbon/semiconductor (i.e. WO3) electrodes which allowed to explore the role of nanoporous carbon as additive towards water oxidation reaction. The presence of carbon material had a notable effect on the hybrid electrode performance, in terms of conversion efficiency (IPCE), likely due to the improved collection of the photogenerated electrons by carbon matrix. An optimal amount of carbon additive of ca. 20 wt.% was obtained for the best performing hybrid electrode, with a twofold IPCE compared to that obtained for bare WO3 electrode. The effect of carbon matrix on WO3 performance was found dependent on semiconductor crystalline structure.